Lost Meaning
by GuardofLiberty
Summary: A Gundam Wing Metal Gear crossover! The President of the ESUN threatens to destroy the peace that was so hard to achieve by unleashing a new Metal Gear. There is only one solution: form a resistance, and call a legend back into action... FINAL CHAPTER UP.
1. A Snake in the Glass

**A/N:** Well, this is my first fic, and I always wondered why no one ever did a crossover between Metal Gear and Gundam Wing-they both detail pretty much the same thing (ginormous walking tank fortresses), so I've decided to give it a shot. Rates and reviews appreciated.

Synopsis of Events:

AC 108: Birth of Big Boss

AC 119: Birth of Ocelot

AC 133: United Earth Sphere Alliance Formed

AC 138: Operation Snake Eater against rebels in Russia, Big Boss leaves the Alliance military

AC 150: Project Ghost creates the first prototype Metal Gear

AC 165: Les Enfantes Terribles Project, birth of Solid, Liquid and Solidus Snake

AC 173: Birth of Sally Po

AC 175: Assassination of Heero Yuy, Alliance seizes control of the Space Colonies

AC 176: Birth of Milliardo Peacecraft, Lucrezia Noin, and Lady Une

AC 180: Birth of Relena Peacecraft and the Gundam Pilots, Solid Snake escapes Alliance custody

AC 181: Outer Heaven Incident

AC 182: Alliance dissolves the Sanc Kingdom

AC 185: Zanzibar Incident, death of Big Boss

AC 191: Shadow Moses Incident, death of Liquid Snake

AC 193: Tanker Incident, death of Solid Snake

AC 195: Eve Wars, Earth Sphere Unified Nation Formed

AC 196: Mariemaia Incident

AC 197: George Sears elected President of the ESUN

AC 198 President Sears begins a major military buildup, despite fierce objections

AC 200 Lady Une dismissed as leader of the Preventers

Prologue: A Snake in the Glass 

The young soldier stood up after a dive, fire in his blue-green eyes.

He wouldn't let them do it.

The young man never really had a name-he'd just been known as "Solid Snake." He was brought up in the most brutal conditions one could imagine. But he had escaped them. He would not let the United Earth Sphere Alliance strip him of any more of his humanity. He was bred to fight-it was his purpose in life-there was no escaping it and he understood that. But he resolved from the time that he escaped, that he would be fighting for what _he_ believed in. He would not be used as a pawn for the United Earth Sphere Alliance.

After finally escaping the Alliance, he was fated to be used as a pawn again-this time by their once-greatest soldier, Big Boss. Big Boss had told Snake he'd make damn sure the Alliance would never find him if Snake infiltrated a group called Outer Heaven and discovered what METAL GEAR was. Snake did so, he was a fool.

Outer Heaven was led by Big Boss. The entire saga was just a power grab by Big Boss to attempt to strike back at the Alliance, and create the nation of Outer Heaven to challenge it. While in principle Snake supported such an idea, he certainly did not want to trade one tyranny for another.

On the rebound of the Outer Heaven incident Snake discovered that the Alliance was planning to attack the Sanc Kingdom. This was the Kingdom of Peace-a pacifist country, defenseless by design. Snake would not allow the Alliance to run rampant there unopposed, no. 'Even if I am the only one standing in resistance, I will still fight.' Snake thought to himself as he arrived. And while the sovereign, King Peacecraft would probably disapprove of Snake's actions-he would still have to do them. Some would have to fight, that's the way it went. Let the sinners shed blood-kill and be killed so the saints could remain pure. That's what Snake knew he had to do. And while he was only 17, he could fight with the best of them-as he had already demonstrated twice. Now for the first time in his life he was doing something truly meaningful.

Snake arrived during the early stages-light infantry doing recon on the Kingdom. They were easy enough to dispatch. He frustrated the efforts of the Alliance anyway he could. He sniped from the trees, set booby traps, broke necks. He even used Stinger missiles against Alliance aircraft.

Then, unfortunately, the Alliance sent in their main assault force-their Mobile Suit divisions-being led by a unit of the just completed Metal Gear TX-55.

A Metal Gear was a Mobile Suit especially built for mass destruction. It could hold and dispatch a nuclear warhead without any difficulty-that on top of the other firepower it boasted. Cluster bombs being fired from the Metal Gear frontline reigned over the Sanc Kingdom's capital, Newport City.

Snake ducked and covered his head, shooting at Alliance troops when the occasion was necessary. Maybe-maybe if he could get into the Peacecraft estate he could save the Peacecrafts and get them out before it was too late.

Snake ran into the palace, his M4 at the ready. He looked at all directions-prepared for all possibilities. It was his instinct. He was one man against thousands-the ultimate game of chance, and chances were that there'd be a bullet in his brain soon. Snake didn't let that stop him though-he was doing the right thing, for the first time in his life.

Snake peered around a corner and heard footsteps-there was a sentry sent to investigate this hall. Tip-toeing up to him, Snake got his target in a rear-naked choke. The sentry was out in seconds. Taking his M4 out once more, Snake went into the room at the end of the hall. It was here that he looked down into the eyes of a small boy, he appeared to be about six. The eyes told a sad story-a story rife with loss. And that's when Snake knew. King Peacecraft was dead, as was his queen, Katrina. This must be their son, Milliardo. Snake put his M4 over his back and knelt down.

"You all right?" He asked in a tone he'd never had the opportunity to use before-the tone of sympathy.

Milliardo was speechless for a while, but finally he managed a "who are you?"

"A friend." Snake said solemnly. "C'mon, I'm gonna get you out of here. Just stay behind me, and keep your head down all right?"

Milliardo looked up at Snake and nodded. "Wait!" He squealed as they walked back down the hall.

Snake turned around. "Shhh. You've got to keep quiet. Wouldn't want us to be discovered would you?" He asked kindly.

"No...but...but..."

"But what?"

"My sister! We have to find my sister!" He squealed again.

Sister? This kid had a sister? What was this? He'd never heard of the Peacecrafts having two children. This was a major snag. But then again, he had rushed here straight out of Outer Heaven. Of course he was going to miss some details.

"All right, of course. Where is she?"

"I...I...don't know." He began to tear up as they kept walking.

"Rhm." He grunted. "All right, we'll start searching then, just make sure that you keep as quiet as possible."

Milliardo tearfully nodded.

They continued to walk. Snake placed a hand in front of Milliardo, ordering him to stop. There was an Alliance soldier nearby. Snake did the tip-toe routine again, and used the rear naked choke once more, but Snake could tell someone was watching. Snake broke out his M4 and quietly walked to the end of the room.

A kick to the stomach and shots were fired in his direction. Snake rolled, lined up his M4 and shot any Alliance soldier he spotted coming out of that corridor. Four bodies lay bloodied on the ground after the incident had died down.

Snake quietly cursed himself-not the best thing for a kid of that age to see. But what else could he have done?

"It's clear kid, come on." He whispered while motioning with his hand.

Milliardo quietly and somberly followed Snake into the room down the hall-one of the palaces' many bedrooms. Snake could clearly see distraught on the face of Milliardo. The bedroom looked clear, but then Snake heard a slight noise coming from one of the closets.

Desperately hoping that whoever was in the closet was Milliardo's sister, Snake motioned for him to remain where he was. Snake put his M4 into a semi-ready position. The person in the closet could be the sister, true, but it could just as easily be an Alliance soldier deciding to play sneak and peak. Sidestepping the front, Snake carefully opened the closet door. When he saw a man inside he stuck his M4 right into his face, the man whimpered.

"Hands on your head now!" Snake ordered, taking a few steps back.

The man complied.

"Step out of the closet and show your face-slowly."

The man complied once more. Milliardo instantly recognized him.

"Thomas!" Milliardo ran into his arms. Thomas was the chief butler at the Peacecraft mansion. Milliardo was a surrogate son to him. Snake lowered his M4.

"Milliardo! Thank God you're ok! Thank you for protecting him." He said to Snake.

Snake nodded. "Can you get him out of here?"

"Of course, I know many shortcuts out of here."

"Good. get him to safety ASAP."

"Wait!" Milliardo shouted. "Relena! We still need to save Relena!"

"Well Milliardo...that's a lot less likely to happen if you're with me." Snake said, putting on his best kindly smile-another new concept to him.

"Yes, I agree. Milliardo, we must be leaving now." Thomas said to him.

"...You promise to save her?"

"Yes." Snake said to him in the best way possible.

"Thank you...what is your name?" Milliardo asked curiously.

"Snake. Solid Snake."

"Thank you, Snake. You saved my life!" He ran and hugged him.

"No problem kid. Now go!"

"Right! Let's go Thomas!"

Snake walked them down the hall and watch them leave. Now to keep his promise. Snake wandered through the palace, finding empty rooms, and a few Alliance sentries that he quickly killed. Snake felt like he was walking in circles-he had come across the same dead bodies a few times.

"I think I should have got a map of this place on the Codec before I came." Snake said, half sarcastically, half cursing himself when he heard a small whimper. That was no Alliance soldier, that much he knew. Tracing its source, he peered around the wall into what looked like King Peacecraft's office. There was a large window. Snake felt himself drawn to the scene outside, fireworks from the bombs blazing in the sunset, as if the weapons were making the sky itself bleed. The same whimper broke the trance the scene put him in.

It came from under the desk. He walked to the front of it and looked under the chair. Sure enough there was a little girl there. She couldn't have been any more than two. Snake bent down and reassuringly said "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm a friend. I saved your brother you know."

"M..Millrdo."

"

Yes…that's right." He said, picking her up. What a shame-the girl was just learning to talk and had just lost her parents in senseless violence. "I'm Snake. What's your name?" He asked the girl in a light voice.

"Re...lena."

"Well Relena, I'm gonna get you out of here, ok? Just keep quiet."

The little girl nodded.

Snake quickly but quietly walked out the same way he came, hopefully he could reunite brother and sister before her brother was too far off. Snake snuck past Alliance guards, he did not want to let this girl see any violent action. Quietly, he made his way outside. He snuck around, trying to get out of the city as quickly as he could. It was then that a major snag hit.

A loud roar.

Oh yes, it was a major major snag. It stood tall with a large launcher on its right side. This was no ordinary Mobile Suit. This was a Metal Gear. Quickly putting Relena down and guarding her, Snake grabbed his Stinger missile launcher and fired-direct hit to the cockpit. No damage.

Relena was beginning to cry in back of him. How could he destroy this thing? It was easy enough to destroy it before completion as he had done at Outer Heaven, but how to fight a live one? He had an idea. It was a long shot, but probably the only shot.

Snake readied the Stinger, waiting for the Metal Gear to launch a missile at him, as it was getting ready to do. Just as the missile was beginning to leave the launcher, Snake launched his own. The two missiles collided inside the launcher-tearing the Metal Gear's cockpit head clean off. It fell down with a thud. The loud explosion and ground impact had Relena wailing. Snake head loud banging footsteps. He turned his head.

Great, more Metal Gears, five more. Just then, a car pulled up on the road, a daring venture. Out stepped a man with brown hair and a small moustache-beard combo. Snake instantly pulled out his .45, pointing it at the man's head.

"Give the girl to me!" He shouted.

"Who are you?!" Snake half asked, half threatened.

"I am Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, a friend of the Peacecrafts!"

This was true, Snake had checked out King Peacecraft's contacts before arriving. King Peacecraft was a friend of his Vice Foreign Minister, this Darlian, and he didn't seem to be lying.

"All right! Take her! Hurry! I'll hold them off!"

"Right!" He ran and grabbed the screaming girl.

"Thank you...who are you?"

"The name is Solid Snake. Now quick! Get out of here!"

With one more look, Darlian drove out at top speed. Snake dodged and moved, finally being able to destroy all five Metal Gear assailants. Snake then calmly walked out of the city and into the forest, killing any unfortunate Alliance soldier that had managed to cross his path.

He didn't save the Sanc Kingdom, he would be delusional if he thought he had a chance to, even with all of his skill. No, but he at least had saved the Peacecraft children, maybe there would be a chance for the Peacecraft legacy to continue in that regard at a later date. He had also taken out at least 100 Alliance soldiers throughout the entire battle, as well as around 14 tanks, 8 aircraft, 9 regular Mobile Suits, and just now, 6 Metal Gears. All in all, not too bad.

"I just hope those two kids can find each other again one day..." Snake sighed again as he calmly walked away. He was happy at his deeds. He had done what was right...finally.

**A/N:** Ok, well that was the prologue. Although the timeline of events may be extensive, I chose to focus on the attack on the Sanc Kingdom to establish a direct connection between Snake and the Peacecraft family. This will be somewhat important in regards to the attitudes of the characters in the story.


	2. Deadman Walking

**A/N:** This is where the story actually begins. I will be changing a few things from the Metal Gear series throughout this fic to have it fit in better with the story.

Chapter 1: Deadman Walking

The year was After Colony 200. It was four years after the Mariemaia Incident. The Vice Foreign Minister, Relena Darlian sat in her office, tiring from all the paper work and stress she had had as of late. It was February. Although the days were getting longer, it still got dark early. Light snowfall still made its way outside. Relena decided to get up from her desk and put a hand on her rather large window. She sighed. She was more than exhausted-she felt like she would die pretty soon. Relena felt like she was a 100-year-old trapped in a 20-year-old's body.

She could thank the President of the Earth Sphere United Nation, George Sears, for her exhaustion. After discovering her true heritage as a Peacecraft, fighting with all of her young might for peace during the Eve Wars, and struggling to uphold it during the Mariemaia Incident, she could feel it all slipping away. She could feel it in her heart, that George Sears, whether directly or indirectly would shatter the fragile glass wall of peace she had cultivated in one second with his clenched fist.

George Sears, an American man, was elected president of the ESUN in response to the Mariemaia Incident. He promised to never let a rebel faction such as the Barton Foundation and the Mariemaia Army ever threaten the ESUN again. In that regard, he proposed the Military Unification Act of AC 198-a massive military expansion bill that created a separate Unified Army outside of the purview of the Preventers-who President Sears had said in his address to the legislature "clearly failed in their duty."

Despite her best efforts to oppose the measure, the Mariemaia Incident was still fresh on the legislator's minds and the bill was passed. Relena feared her work was beginning to be meaningless. The Earth Sphere Unified Nation had just lost its meaning.

But the biggest blow was to her heart. The man she loved more than anything, Heero Yuy had disappeared completely from her life a month prior to the drafting of the Military Unification Act. Although they were far from where Relena desired their relationship to be-Heero had at least kept in touch with her. Then he vanished. He was gone and she had not heard from him since. While she valiantly tried to remain the Relena she always had been during the critical debate about the MUA-she knew that she was not completely herself. Her heart still had a hole in it-one which would never completely heal.

"Heero..." She whispered sadly. Snapping out of her daydream, she knew she had to get back to work. This was no ordinary paper work-this was possibly even more important to defeat than the MUA. Walking over her desk, she began to look over the critical documents again.

This was President Sears' biggest and most audacious move yet. Right off the heels of his dismissal of Lady Une, he was planning to authorize the development of a new type of Metal Gear. Metal Gears were specialized mobile suits built for mass destruction-to end thousands or millions of lives as quickly as humanly possible. The bill was innocently named enough-the Military Science Act of AC 200. This "Military Science" happened to be the science of walking weapons of mass destruction.

Going back into the history of Metal Gear brought up legendary names and events of the past century. Big Boss, Solid Snake, Shadow Moses. All of these people and events were intricately intertwined with Metal Gear. Solid Snake's actions during the Tanker Incident in New York effectively ended Metal Gear for good. In AC 193 Solid Snake infiltrated what looked to be an oil tanker, released photos of what it was really carrying-the new Metal Gear, and then proceeded to blow it up, killing himself and Metal Gear in the process.

Although Snake was responsible for the deaths of thousands-Relena couldn't help but admire the man.

"Solid Snake." She smiled, looking at a photograph of him taken by a Cypher UAV while on the deck of the tanker which was included in one of the files. "You were a killer. But at least you did something meaningful with your life. Thanks to you Metal Gear is dead and buried."

Relena then imagined what would have happened had Metal Gear been used in the Eve Wars-by any side. There might not be an Earth left. Nukes would have been exchanged like regular rifle rounds. Indeed, a major reason for the success of the Gundams during the Eve Wars was the fact that they weren't up against any Metal Gears.

"I guess that's why you're legend." She whispered again. She then remembered-Snake was Heero's idol. He had told her numerous times. Heero admired Snake's courage, ideals, and skill. The Perfect Soldier modeled himself on a Perfect Soldier that came before him. Thoughts of Heero flooded her mind again, Relena desperately trying to push them away.

Moving on, she looked at an image of Metal Gear TX-55. The image instantly brought up memories-the nightmare she had from time to time since she was a child. The nightmare of the attack on the Sanc Kingdom-and her, a toddler, lost in the chaos. But there was always the man...the man who saved her, she remembered that man destroying that very Metal Gear and sending her away. Indeed, this was confirmed to her by her adoptive mother, Mrs. Darlian, a few years ago-a man had destroyed a Metal Gear and handed her off to her adoptive father.

So much misery, so much suffering-her personal suffering included. No, she would not let President Sears revive the project and create an even deadlier version of Metal Gear! No!

"If it's the last thing I do! I will not let him have it!" She shouted, slamming her hands on the stack of papers.

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, you have a visitor." Her secretary, Sarah, told her over the intercom.

"Who is it?" She said in a tired voice.

"A Mr. Ocelot is here to see you."

Ocelot? What was Ocelot doing there? She took a look at her clock. 7:12. Why so late?

"Send him in." She said unemotionally.

Ocelot was one of the President's closest confidantes. As such, he and Relena were very ideologically opposed. Relena watched as her door opened and a man with a ponytailed head of white hair and a long moustache stepped through.

"Miss Relena. It's a privilege." He said bowing.

"It's good to see you again, Ocelot." She said putting on her best diplomatic-AKA bullshit smile while she shook his hand. Ocelot gave her the creeps, he had since the first time she had met him. His voice and eyes were so cold.

"Don't overwork yourself, Miss Relena. I think you should get some more rest." He said after glancing at her huge pile of papers.

Relena knew the politicking immediately. She was the biggest force opposing the recreation of Metal Gear. Ocelot surely knew this. It was more a statement for his own interest rather than for hers. Ocelot had gotten a base hit into left center.

Relena responded. "No, really, it's quite all right. This is my job, after all. Someone has to deal with all of this insanity." Insanity implied Metal Gear. Ocelot knew it, and Relena knew that Ocelot knew it. It didn't matter, she left him unable to speak for a time. Relena had hit a home run over the right field fence.

"Ocelot, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" She asked, getting to the point.

"The President is having a banquet at his estate in South Carolina next week. He would be honored if you could join him there." Ocelot said, fishing around in his jacket pocket and then handing her the invitation.

She took the invitation. The Metal Gear debate would be in two days. Sears knew she was his biggest opponent. Yet he invited her, he had to. Etiquette said that politics stayed in the legislative chamber. He had to invite her and she had no choice but to go, even though she did not want to.

"Tell the President that I will be there." She said to Ocelot.

"Good." Ocelot smiled at her. "He will be pleased." Ocelot took a glance around her room and noticed a picture on one of her bookshelves. Relena stood with a young man with rather messy hair over his eyes.

"Will that young man be joining you at the party?" He asked, motioning to the picture.

"...No." She said in a sad whisper.

"Miss Relena, would you like me to walk you downstairs to your car?" He asked.

"That would be fine, Ocelot. Thank you." She said, putting the papers in a folder, which she took while getting her coat.

After a walk that lasted a couple of minutes in which neither Relena nor Ocelot talked very much, Relena got into her car and waved good-bye. She looked at her watch, 7:30 P.M. Relena would be taking the day off tomorrow. She would have to be well rested for the political fight of her life.

When the debate was over, Relena and her allies had narrowly managed to defeat the Military Science Act. Relena breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Metal Gear would not be reentering the world, for now at least.

Up far away in a remote part of Alaska, four people watched the Metal Gear debate intensely. A woman with long brown hair was the first to speak.

"Your sister certainly still has the guts she is known for, standing up to Sears like that."

"Yes, but it's not like he'll listen." A man with ice blue eyes said back to her. "Legal or not, Sears will bring back Metal Gear."

"I agree." Another woman who had her head on the man's chest said. "Sears definitely has an agenda, and Metal Gear is a key part of it. He and his friend Ocelot will see their agenda through no matter the cost.

"Zechs." A woman with blonde hair said. "Are you sure our time here isn't a wild goose chase?"

"I'm absolutely certain, Sally. Sears and Ocelot will revive Metal Gear, and they will use it to seriously harm the Earth Sphere United Nation and the peace it stands for. So we've got to form a resistance. And who better to lead us than the greatest Metal Gear fighter who's ever lived? Besides, I need to pay him back for saving mine and Relena's lives."

"I can't believe you actually met Solid Snake, Zechs." The woman, Noin said to him.

"I wish it was under better circumstances..."

"This is all besides the point. Zechs, Snake is dead. Snake has been dead since that Tanker operation of his!"

"No! No, Lady Une! Snake is _not_ dead!"

"And how do you know that?"

"I can't really explain it...it's something I've come to know in my extensive travels. And besides, Snake is _way_ too good to have been blown up in that Tanker."

"Zechs, don't let your reverence for Snake cloud your judgment." Lady Une warned.

"Snake has always been my hero...ever since he saved my life. His various activities only further strengthened my conviction. He's still alive and we are getting very close. C'mon." He said as he got up and left the hotel they were staying at.

The three women followed him out. After driving for around four more hours, they arrived. It was a small town on the ass end of nowhere in Alaska. Looking around, they arrived at a small cemetery. A man was standing over a couple of graves. He appeared to be 35, with light facial hair, a mullet, and blue-green eyes. He wore a heavy coat in the serious blizzard.

"Meryl…Gray Fox." He said in a low breath. "I miss you."

Hearing footsteps in the snow, the man turned around. There were four people, three women and a man.

"Who are you?" He asked in a threatening tone.

"That is him...I don't believe it..." Lady Une was nearly speechless.

She was the first person he recognized. "Lady Une. Leader of the Preventers, or former leader of the Preventers."

Lady Une answered him. "Are you..."

"No." He answered, trying to throw her off. How had these four people gotten here? Did they really know that he was who he was?

The four of them didn't seem to be deterred. The man stepped forward to look him in the face.

"Perhaps we ought to introduce ourselves. That's Lucrezia Noin, Sally Po, and you've met Lady Une." Zechs was practically shaking in anticipation-finally he was meeting his hero, not as the small six-year-old boy that needed to be saved, but man to man. "As for myself, I am-"

"Wait a minute." He was cut off. "It's...you. You're that kid, Milliardo Peacecraft. You were also the one who was going to crash Libra into Earth!"

"I regret my actions every day I live. Snake...and don't deny it because I know that's who you are. I never did...thank you for saving my sister's life." He said, actually hugging the man, a tear in one of his eyes.

"Hey, best not to cry out here kid." The man said, reluctantly hugging Milliardo back.

Milliardo laughed. Sally Po spoke.

"So Snake...you're not...dead."

"No. I'll let you in on a little secret too, I didn't blow up that Tanker either."

"Then who did?" Sally asked.

"That was Ocelot's doing."

"OCELOT?!" The four of them yelled.

"Yeah, but it was convenient to blame me. The plan was to just upload the pictures of the new Metal Gear on the net, and let the public outcry be enough to stop it. But since Metal Gear was destroyed as well, I think it all worked out nicely. Anyway, I have a question to ask you. Why the hell did you people come out here, just to see if I was still alive? I don't think so. There's something you haven't told me and I suggest you spill it."

Lady Une spoke. "Snake, sir. As you know I was just dismissed as leader of the Preventers. Agents Water, Fire, and Wind quit in protest. I was dismissed because President Sears wants to bring back Metal Gear and I was an obstacle to that."

"Relena Peacecraft just defeated that measure." Snake responded.

"It was thanks to you that she's alive to do all she's doing..." Emotion overcoming Milliardo again. "She goes by Darlian now though."

"Eh, I know. But she'll always be a Peacecraft to me. As will you, even though you strayed from your father's ideals. But then again, that is your choice."

"Side conversations aside." Lady Une said, interjecting. "Snake, do you really expect George Sears to not revive Metal Gear just because Relena Peacecraft said 'no' with the support of a few hundred people?"

"Of course not." Snake said matter-of-factly.

"Well, you're right. I was dismissed as leader of the Preventers because I went over his Metal Gear plans without authorization. He wants a Metal Gear army, and in fact, development is already under way. No one is going to stop him...or so he thinks. Snake, we are going to form a resistance. But we need a true leader, and who better than you, the legendary Metal Gear destroyer?"

"I'm retired." Snake said, beginning to walk away in a huff.

The four former Preventers looked at each other in a state of shock and hurried to catch up.

"But please, Snake!" Noin pleaded with him. "You're legend! We need you!"

"Let me tell you a little something, Miss Noin. A legend is nothing but a fable. It's a made up story. I'm no hero and I never was. People need to get over it and worry about their own lives."

"That's a lie!" Milliardo shouted at him. "You _are_ a hero. To me most of all! It was you who saved me and my sister. That's not an over hyped account, that is a fact that I will never forget! And besides, legends _are_ important. They give the people something to rally around, a symbol for why they fight. And you are a symbol of hope to millions, whether you like it or not, that's what you are!"

Snake did not know how to respond to those words...they had a sad hint of truth to them, despite his denials.

"Snake, please." Sally tried to reason with him. "We need you. The world needs you!"

"Snake, if George Sears makes a Metal Gear army that rampages around, your life will have meant nothing, all your efforts will have been in vain because Metal Gear will be back and worse than ever. Please, continue on. Help us! _Lead_ _us_ in these desperate times! I beg you!" Lady Une took his hand and knelt before him.

Again, there was a sad truth in her words as well. His efforts _would_ be wasted if Sears ever got his hands on Metal Gear. And he knew Sears' true colors.

"Argh." He grunted. "Fine. I'll do it..." Snake continued to walk. "I'll take you to my home, follow me. If I'm gonna be a part of this, much less your leader, you have to tell me your plan." He said walking off. "Hurry up, don't fall behind."

As the four former Preventers walked behind, their faces lit up with hope-a stark contrast to the blizzard they trudged through.

"Thank God..." Lady Une whispered with a wide smile. "Zechs, you were right! Our journey here wasn't wasted, far from it! We have a chance..."

The dead had risen. It was walking, trudging, toward its cause.


	3. The Cause

**A/N:** This chapter came out a bit longer than I expected, but it does have a lot of character and plot building. Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 2: The Cause

"It's not very luxurious I'm afraid." Snake said walking through the door, hanging his coat up. "You're gonna have to make due."

The four former Preventers followed Snake inside, and at his behest, hung up their coats.

"That's fine." Lady Une said. "Thank you for trusting us enough to invite us into your home."

"I can't exactly say you're welcome. Not yet. Let's cut to the chase right now. What's this resistance plan of yours?"

"It is simple, really." Lady Une replied. "Do what you did before. We'll have a small team and conduct anti-Metal Gear activities, fight Sears by whatever means we can."

"And who's gonna be a part of this small team?"

"Us five, and a few others, we still need to contact them."

"And who are these others?" Snake asked. "Don't be vague with me."

The other three former Preventers in the room also wondered what Lady Une had up her sleeve.

"Who are the others?" Noin asked.

"I think I know..." Sally began to say.

"The Gundam pilots, of course."

"Somehow I knew you'd say that..." Noin said.

Zechs instantly felt a twinge of odd feelings-and hatred-for one very specific pilot. "You sure they'd want to work with me?" Was all he got out.

"They worked with you during the Mariemaia Incident." Noin replied to him. "Even...you know who."

Snake laughed. "The Gundam pilots, huh? They sure did make a name for themselves during the Eve Wars, even managed to get people to stop talking about me for a little while."

"Zechs, you look angry." Sally Po said to him.

"Yes, you do. Is there something I'm missing?" Snake asked.

"The former pilot of the Wing Zero, his name is Heero Yuy." Noin answered for her clearly angered boyfriend, who scowled even more upon hearing the name.

"Heero Yuy-the assassinated leader?" Snake asked.

"No, he was given that name after him." Noin answered again. "Anyway, this Heero Yuy and Zechs-Milliardo's sister, Relena...had something going."

"A relationship?"

"I really don't know if you could call it that. There was obviously something but I don't know if they were dating."

"HE ABANDONED HER!" Milliardo shouted at the top of his lungs. "SHE LOVED HIM! SHE STILL LOVES HIM! He just vanished. He didn't even give her the dignity of a 'no!' She's still refusing every single man who even just wants to have a morning coffee with her, still holding out a hope for him to return. That damn man ripped her heart to shreds-and he never lets her heartbreak end! I could forgive him for fighting with me during the war, but in this, I will never forgive him. I will hate him until my last breath..."

Snake sighed. "You're gonna have to take it easy, Milliardo. If we do wind up contacting this guy and having him be a part of our team, you're gonna have to work with him for the benefit of the world and put your hatred aside-for a while at least. Metal Gear is way too dangerous for us to be distracted with your personal issues."

"Out of respect for you, I will try my best to do that, Snake." He said, smiling lightly.

"By the way, is it Zechs or Milliardo?"

"Right now Milliardo is fine, but during missions I'd like to go by Zechs."

"Fine. Lady Une, start contacting the Gundam pilots. I assume you have a place for us to do our 'work'."

"I do. It's a closed down Preventer bunker in a remote part of Maine. Actually, it's more like an underground mansion. Sears never knew about it. I'll have it up and running in no time."

"Ok, that should work. I'm gonna go use the phone...there's one more person that I think should be a part of our organization."

"Who?" Sally asked.

"A friend of mine. We used to do our anti-Metal Gear runs together. Dr. Hal Emmerich, but he goes by Otacon. Met him during Shadow Moses."

"The designer of Metal Gear REX." Milliardo said.

Snake laughed. "You must have read up on me a lot. Anyway, I'm calling him now. I'll arrange for him to meet us in Maine. Lady Une and Sally, contact the Gundam pilots right away. Noin, arrange for us to get a flight to Maine."

"And a car?" She asked.

"No, I'll have Otacon pick us up."

Lady Une and Sally went into Snake's small dining room, their phones in tow.

"Quatre and Wufei will definitely be the easiest to contact. Wufei is still with the Preventers and everyone knows who Quatre Raberba Winner is." Lady Une said. "Sally, did you have a private line that you used to talk with Wufei?"

"Yes. I see your point. We can't contact him on the main one. There's too high a risk for Sears, Ocelot, or one of their cronies to find out."

"Correct. And if they do we're done before we start."

"Right. I'll call Wufei, you call Quatre."

Meanwhile, Snake conversed with Otacon in his bedroom.

"Otacon, are you tired of sitting on your ass as much as I am?"

"What's up Snake? Tired of being 'dead'?" Otacon said with a small chuckle.

"A lot is up. I think the dead is gonna have to rise..." Snake said trailing.

"Snake, what's going on?" Otacon said, knowing that Snake was serious about something.

"George Sears. He's trying to revive Metal Gear, make an even deadlier one."

"That measure was just defeated thanks to Relena Peacecraft."

"Yeah...but do you seriously think Sears will care?"

"No."

"I didn't think so. Anyway, believe it or not, a few people other than you knew I was still alive."

"What are you talking about Snake?"

"I have a few visitors up here...Lady Une, and three of her friends, one of whom is Milliardo Peacecraft."

"What?! Snake, what's going on there?!" Otacon said with great surprise.

"Apparently, Lady Une was dismissed as leader of the Preventers because she read Sears' plans for Metal Gear unauthorized. Otacon, he's already begun development of the new Metal Gear!"

"So I'm guessing...Lady Une and her friends attempted to call you out of retirement, Mr. Metal Gear Destroyer."

"Yeah, and it worked. Lady Une is forming some sort of resistance movement and asked me to be its leader. At first I didn't want to, but then I realized how important this is. Otacon, all our work will have meant nothing if Sears and Ocelot are allowed to make an army of new and improved Metal Gears. We still don't even know for what purpose Sears is doing it. That's scary."

"Yeah, I agree." Otacon said somberly. "After the Eve Wars I thought that the Earth Sphere Unified Nation would never even think of creating new Mobile Suits-especially a new Metal Gear. George Sears is corrupting it."

"I was just wondering, if you would do this run with me."

"Of course. It'll kind of be like old times huh? I don't know why but it seems invigorating...in an odd way of course."

"Excellent. I'm gonna send you the location that Lady Une gave to me. Be there as soon as possible and begin to set up camp. I'm gonna send you the access code to get in there as well. I'll be there in a couple of days, make sure you have a ride for us at the nearest airport."

"Shouldn't be too difficult." Otacon said as he was pouring over the data. "I'll see you in a two days."

"Roger that." Snake said, hanging up the phone.

"Lady Une! It's great hearing from you! It's been so long!"

"Quatre. I see you are as full of life as ever." Lady Une smiled on the other end. "Unfortunately, this isn't a house call."

Quatre's face grimaced a bit on the other end. Why was she calling then? Could it be about? 'Yes' he thought. It must be.

"Is this about Sears and your dismissal from the Preventers?"

"Yes. Quatre. What do you know about Metal Gear?"

Metal Gear? Uh-oh. This must be serious. Real serious.

"Nothing much more than common knowledge, folk legends about Solid Snake, and the fact that Sears wants to revive it, why?"

"Quatre...Sears _is_ going to revive Metal Gear, improve it even! And I'm not just talking about one, I'm talking about as many as he can possibly churn out. He's going to shatter the peace you fought so hard for with those walking mass-killing machines!"

"But Miss Relena just defeated the bill for its revival!" Quatre shot back, desperately trying to prove that Lady Une was wrong.

"Quatre...the reason why I was dismissed as leader of the Preventers was because I went through Sears' classified files. ...The President has...already begun work on the new Metal Gear. He doesn't care if he has legal approval or not."

"No...but why?!"

"I don't know. That's what's so scary. Quatre, I'm forming a group to resist Sears and his Metal Gear project. We will protect the peace that the Earth Sphere Unified Nation was formed for-with deadly force if necessary."

"...I understand, Lady Une. Metal Gear is definitely the biggest threat to peace, and Sears doesn't want peace. I don't think there's any other way..."

"Quatre, does this mean that you will join?"

"Yes."

"Good, I'll send you our bases' location via an encrypted file. Go there in three days, we'll have already set up shop by then."

"Who's there with you?"

"Zechs, Noin, Sally and...our leader."

"Leader?"

"I can't say his name over the phone-security reasons of course. Anyway, Quatre, is it possible for you to contact the other Gundam pilots? Sally is already trying to talk to Wufei."

"I can contact Duo immediately. Trowa will be a little bit harder to reach but I'm sure I can get him. As far as Heero is concerned...well..." He trailed off, remembering how Heero had always had the uncanny ability to vanish forever if he so desired.

"Can you contact Heero?"

"I do have some very vague contact information for Heero...maybe it will work, but I can't promise you anything."

"I understand. Tell the others exactly what I told you, relay our bases' location as well." Lady Une instructed him. I'll see you soon Quatre, I just wish it were under better circumstances."

"Me too. Goodbye Lady Une."

"Goodbye Quatre."

They both hung up their phones, emotion overcoming both parties. Damn this Sears, damn him and his friend Ocelot for putting them in this situation!

"So...that's why Lady Une was dismissed..." Wufei said in an angry tone that was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah..." Sally said sadly. "Wufei, we need to stop Sears and his mad dream to create a new mass-produced Metal Gear. If he does it-we'll be living in an eternal hell."

Wufei just scowled. Sally was right. He knew that. Wufei simply had to join up with her. He could no longer be a Preventer working for..._him_. Sears would have to be stopped. Wufei swore that he would do all in his power to stop any new Metal Gear from entering the world.

"I'll be there Sally. Three days right?"

"Yes. Keep a low profile until then."

"Right. Later." He hung up the phone.

Wufei was going over his schedule, trying to see if there was anything important that he still had to do within the next three days. If he missed any of it-he might look suspicious. Wufei's eyes widened when he read what he had to do on the third day from now-the 16th of February. He had a security inspection at the Presidential Palace in Brussels on that day! He couldn't miss this, he was the senior Preventer on the job, it would be too suspicious.

"DAMNIT!" He shouted, throwing a stapler across the room.

"Is everything all right in here, Preventer Chang?" A junior level staffer said, entering his office.

"Everything is fine." Wufei growled, lowering his head.

The staffer took a hint and left. Wufei went back to his thoughts. It wasn't the end of the world. He'd just get there a little bit later than Sally expected. That was fine. Thoughts of seeing his former comrades flooded him now, it had been a long time, it'd been a little over two years since they'd all been together in one place. Heero might even be coming...that surprised and frightened him at the same time. If Heero showed up it might mean that this Metal Gear thing was a lot more serious than he ever would have believed.

"Damn you Sears." Wufei said, getting up to get his coat. Who was this 'leader?' Was the next thought that overcame him as he exited his office.

A remote apartment on colony L-1. The man looked at his laptop-the only light coming from the dark room. So, Sears really was planning to do it after all. Metal Gear was coming back. His hacking skills had come in handy, but he terminated the connection as soon as he got what he needed-best not to be discovered, as he was bound to be sooner rather than later at this rate. Why did Sears want a new Metal Gear so badly? Probably something having to do with the la-li-lu-le-lo, no doubt. But for what purpose? Why did they want it? Was Sears just proceeding as instructed? Or did he have some ulterior motive? This was all very strange. But everything was strange when the la-li-lu-le-lo were involved.

"Hn." He grunted. At any rate, no matter the motives of anyone involved, he couldn't let a new Metal Gear come into being. He had fought too hard for peace, and Metal Gears were the greatest things ever conceived at ending peace. He also would be damned if he would let the legacy of his hero, Solid Snake be pissed on by anyone. Snake had sacrificed his happiness and his life in destroying Metal Gear and he would honor those sacrifices. There was also one other reason why he would have to fight...

The man got up and went toward his bedroom. He picked up a picture on his dresser, the only picture in the entire house. He stood in the picture with a woman. They stood together in a park, their arms interlocked. The picture was dated a little over two years ago. She looked so happy...he promised to protect her. And a new Metal Gear would definitely be a threat to her.

"Relena..." He said softly, running his hand over the frame, a tint of sadness appearing in his Prussian blue eyes. Taking the picture with him, he stepped back into his living room and picked up the phone.

"Quatre, I'll be there." He said in his monotone when he heard a voice on the other end.

"Good. It'll be great to see you Heero! Despite the situation..."

"Hn." Was all Heero said in response as he hung up. "Snake, I will make you proud." He said looking up, hoping that if there was something...Snake would hear him.

Five people got out of a plane and walked outside to the end of the airport. It was the 15th of February. They stood outside in the cold for around 20 minutes, although this was nothing compared to what they felt in Alaska. Finally, a phone rang.

"Snake, look to your 2 o'clock."

Snake did so and saw a man in a coat with glasses getting out of an SUV.

"C'mon, that's Otacon." Snake said to the others as he hung up.

Snake walked calmly, the others following close behind him as he went up to his old friend. They greeted each other with a hug.

"It's been a while." Otacon said to him.

"A long while." Snake said back with a light smile. "Otacon, this is Lucrezia Noin, Sally Po, Lady Une, and Milliardo Peacecraft." Snake said, introducing his companions.

"A pleasure." Otacon said while shaking each of their hands. "Milliardo, Snake's told me the story of how he saved you and your sister."

Milliardo just smiled.

"Enough with the small talk, let's get over to that bunker, now." Snake said, putting his gear that he brought from Alaska into the trunk and getting into the shotgun seat of the car.

"Right, c'mon I'll drive us there." Otacon said, beckoning the other four to get in, which they did immediately."

"Otacon, how long have you been at the bunker?" Lady Une asked.

"Around 15 hours, I've already gotten us food, water, all the essentials. I've activated the control systems too."

"And how did you do that without proper access? I thought Snake only gave you the code to get in."

"Preventer channels aren't that difficult to break, no offense Miss Une." Otacon said matter-of-factly.

Lady Une scowled and then laughed, remembering that she wasn't in the Preventers anymore, thanks to Mr. Sears. It would be good that they had such a skilled hacker in their group. In around 25 more minutes, they arrived at the bunker. The group all went inside.

"Not such a bad place to work from..." Snake said, carrying his gear, marveling at how luxurious this 'bunker' was.

"I told you it was an underground mansion." Lady Une laughed. "C'mon, I'll show you all to your rooms."

Snake put away his gear and got settled into his room. Back into this...back at war. Hadn't Man learned? Even after the Eve Wars Man hadn't learned how pointless all of this petty fighting really was? He thought that the horror of the Eve Wars, combined with the saintly presence of Relena Peacecraft would end it. Now Sears wanted to revive Metal Gear-which fortunately hadn't even been used during the Eve Wars. But why? _Something related to them_, that had to be the answer. But what? Snake grunted...the thoughts were hurting his brain. He needed a cigarette. Snake pulled one out of the box and lit one. Ahhh-the nicotine really did come in handy. To hell with Otacon and his 'Surgeon General's Warning.' Snake laughed, he needed one of those. It was then that Snake heard footsteps approaching his room. Looking up from his desk, he saw that it was Lady Une.

"Is everything all right in here? She asked, peering through the blue smoke in front of Snake's face.

"Just fine."

"Snake, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Who?"

A little girl with red hair and big blue eyes walked into the room. That was Mariemaia Khushrenada, no doubt. Snake regretfully put out his cigarette. He couldn't be letting kids inhale second-hand smoke-even though this kid had once been a demon-seed.

"So it is true! Solid Snake is still alive, and here you are!" She ran up to him. "It's always a pleasure to meet a legend." She said, curtsying. "So, when are you going to go and fight?" She asked eagerly.

"Mariemaia!" Lady Une yelled when she saw that Snake was getting clearly annoyed.

"Look kid, I think it's past your bedtime." He said, glancing at the clock: 8:37 P.M.

"It is." Lady Une confirmed. "Mariemaia, go to bed now."

"Awww!" She squealed. "It was nice meeting you Snake!" She said with glee, running out of the room.

"Well, at least she doesn't seem like a demon-child anymore." Snake observed. "When did she get here?

Lady Une laughed. "I sent for her when we arrived. I'm trying to raise His Excellency's daughter-the right way."

"I see." Snake responded. "For all it's worth, Treize was a good man. I didn't like him when he worked for Romefeller, but he sealed my respect when he fought the White Fang."

Lady Une sighed. "That would have meant a lot to him-coming from you."

"Rhm." Snake grunted. Why did everyone think he was a hero? Why? For the first time, Snake took a deep look into Lady Un'es eyes. In an odd way...she reminded him of...no, that was crazy talk.

"What is it Snake?"

"Nothing." He sighed. I need to take a shower. I'll see you later.

Lady Une gave a light smile and began to walk out as Snake took off his shirt.

"Snake?"

"What?"

"Thank you...thank you for helping us."

Snake nodded.

This was it. February 16th. Wufei was doing his inspection tour and would be leaving for Maine immediately after. He was just about finished when he heard two familiar voices talking to each other in an adjoining room. Wufei took a quick look-Sears and Ocelot. Wufei was about to leave, but when he heard the words "Metal Gear" he decided to listen in. If he was caught he was fucked-but this may be too important information to pass up.

"Have the final diagnostics been completed?" Sears asked.

"Yes, all systems are ready to go. We will be ready for full production very shortly." Ocelot responded.

"Excellent. We still have to do a few field trials before that can happen though."

"That will be difficult. The Military Science Act has been defeated."

"Thanks to that damn Peacecraft girl!" Sears said-his tone suddenly getting fiery.

"She is making this very difficult..." Ocelot said, trailing.

'Yeah because the last thing the world needs is a new Metal Gear! Thank God we have her fighting you maniacs!' Wufei thought as he listened.

"No, she's making this much more than difficult. She's more than a nuisance. She's become a pest. She is preventing us from doing what needs to be done! We have to...we have to get rid of her. Somehow."

Wufei's eyes contracted. What were these bastards planning to do?

"Maybe we can pull such a thing off at your party in two days." Ocelot suggested.

"Yes...I think so. After she leaves she can have an unfortunate encounter with an assassin."

"Then we can say that we need the new Metal Gear to combat the terrorists."

"With her gone the resistance to the new Metal Gear would collapse, regardless of the excuse." Sears said.

"I agree. I think we should do it."

"Ocelot, call Vamp. Tell him to wait outside the party. Once she leaves and is far enough away, he can do what he pleases with her."

"Right away...Mr. President." Ocelot said in his usual cold voice while stepping outside, Wufei prayed he wouldn't be discovered. He wasn't.

"Rest in peace...Relena Peacecraft. Nothing will stop Outer Heaven." Sears said triumphantly.

Wufei quietly tip-toed away when the coast was clear. He had to get to Maine and fast! Once he was outside he got into his car and drove to the airport, way over the speed limit. He didn't care if he got into a police chase. He had to tell everyone, he couldn't let Relena die!

A man with Prussian blue eyes and messy brown hair arrived at his designated location. He punched in the code and went down into the bunker.

"Some bunker..." He with a comedic tone.

"Heero!" A man with long-braided hair ran up and hugged him.

Great. Duo had to come huh? Oh Jesus.

"It's nice to see you Duo, Quatre, Trowa."

All three smiled and nodded at him.

"Where are the others?"

"We're all here." Sally said, coming out with Milliardo, Noin, and Lady Une. "Heero, it's so nice to see you!"

"No it isn't." Milliardo scowled.

"Uh-oh." Noin shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Yuy! I should kill you for what you did to my sister!"

"Zechs, I did what I had to do...to protect her..." Heero trailed, maintaining a defensive posture.

"Liar! You abandoned her!"

"Zechs..."

"All right! That's enough!"

Heero watched as a man stepped out into the main hall, followed by another man in glasses. His eyes widened in surprise. No...that couldn't be.

"Milliardo, you said you wouldn't fight. We have much more important things to worry about!"

"I'm sorry Snake. I just couldn't help it. Forgive me."

"Snake...?" Heero asked.

"Heero Yuy?" The man who had broken up the fight held out a hand. Heero took it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Snake."

"Snake?! But you..."

"Died? No." Otacon answered him. "We just had that story made up. Snake's alive and kicking, as you can see."

"It's an honor..." Heero said, nearly speechless. "Snake, you're my hero!" He said as they released their hands.

Otacon laughed. "Hear that Snake? You're Heero's hero." He teased.

Snake just closed his eyes and turned his back.

"We were as surprised as you are, Heero." Trowa said, smiling at him. "We were speechless too. I didn't think the great Heero Yuy would be in such shock though." He said jokingly.

"Where's Wufei?" Heero asked, getting back to serious business.

"I don't know...to be honest I thought you would be the last one to arrive, Heero." Sally said, worry on her face. "I hope nothing's happened to him."

"I think the Wu-man's ok." Duo said in his usual cheerful tone. "Don't be so worried, Sally."

"It's Sears. He's capable of doing anything." Heero said in his usual monotone. "Something is definitely up. The question is, what?"

"Yes, I agree." Snake replied. "There's got to be a reason he's being delayed. Something is fishy here."

"By the way, I did some hacking into Sears' personal files. He really is making a new Metal Gear, regardless of its legality." Heero confirmed.

Snake was impressed with this Heero guy, his initial gawking aside. He had already shown quick thinking, and by hacking into Sears' files, skill.

"Heero, I will show you to your room." Lady Une said. "Please follow me."

As he walked up the stairs to his room, Heero came to terms with the flood of new thoughts in his mind. Snake was alive! He couldn't believe it. And Snake would be leading them in the war against Metal Gear. Heero unpacked, taking his one and only picture out first, putting it on the dresser by his pillow. Relena had shown courage, but she could do nothing more. It was up to him and his comrades now to stop Sears from creating another war with his new Metal Gear.

At about the time the group gathered for dinner, they heard someone entering the bunker. Turning, they saw a man with black hair with a small ponytail in the back running toward them.

"Wufei!" Sally said, running up to him. "You don't look hurt. Thank God! I was so worried about you! As was everyone else!"

Wufei panted, trying to catch his breath. He looked up and saw everyone-he knew them all except for two. Who were they?

"Wufei, this is Otacon." She said, pointing to the man in the glasses. "And that is Solid Snake."

"WHAT?! Snake is..."

"Alive." Snake finished his sentence and went to shake his hand. "It's a long story, but I can explain it to you over dinner, please make yourself comfortable and come with us."

"No! I have something important to say first!"

"What is it?" Snake asked, the others looking on in curiosity.

"Relena! Sears and Ocelot are planning to assassinate her!"

"WHAT?!" The entire group collectively yelled.


	4. Crashing the Party

Chapter 3: Crashing the Party

"Wufei, what happened?" Sally asked.

"WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO TO MY SISTER?!" Milliardo screamed, shaking him.

Noin ran up to her boyfriend and tried to calm him down to the best of her ability. She had little luck, but at least she had managed to get him to stop shaking Wufei.

"Wufei, what do you know?" Heero asked, almost snapping.

"The reason I was late was because I had a security inspection tour at the Presidential Palace. I was the senior Preventer on task so I couldn't skip it. During my inspection, I overheard Sears and Ocelot talking. I didn't think it was much but when I heard 'Metal Gear' I decided to stay and listen."

"AND?!" Both Heero and Milliardo asked with growing impatience, to the amusement of Duo.

"And the two of them said that Relena Peacecraft had become too much of a nuisance and needed to be gotten rid of. Sears told Ocelot to call some guy named 'Vamp.' This Vamp guy is going to kill her after she leaves that party and is far enough away! After Ocelot left, Sears said something about 'Outer Heaven...'

Snake and Otacon took a serious glance at one another. They both nodded, now that everyone was gathered, it was time.

"Guys, there's something we need to tell you about Sears." Otacon said somberly.

The rest looked at him and Snake with curious faces.

"Sears is my brother." Snake said, to the shock of the rest.

"Woah! No way! Your brother?!" Duo asked.

"Well...I suppose. It's pretty hard to explain..."

"Back in After Colony 165 there was a secret United Earth Sphere Alliance project called 'Les Enfantes Terribles.'" Otacon put forth.

"Les Enfantes Terribles?" Duo asked, confused.

"The Terrible Children." Otacon answered. "I'm sure you all know who Big Boss was."

The others nodded their heads.

"The Les Enfantes Terribles project was a cloning project of Big Boss by the Alliance. It created Snake, Liquid, and Sears...who is really Solidus Snake."

Duo was dumbfounded. This just kept getting weirder. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Duo thought to himself.

Heero looked on with determination, seemingly eager to learn more. "So...Sears is Solidus, your brother?"

Snake nodded. "We have the same genes, but other than that, I don't consider him a brother at all."

"But wait." Quatre put in. "Snake, if you were both born at the same time, why does Solidus look so much older than you?"

"He suffers from advanced cellular degeneration." Snake answered him. "Part of the cloning project's after-affects. The aging process can be accelerated."

"Do you know anything about this Vamp guy?" Wufei asked.

"Vamp. He's adept at using knives. He was born in Romania, he lost his family in a church bombing. He was pierced by a crucifix and stuck under rubble for two days, he survived by drinking the blood of his family. He's had a taste for blood ever since. Vamp used to be part of a secret special ops group called Dead Cell. As far as freaks go, he's gotta be at or near the top of anyone's list."

"Right, and now Solidus wants Vamp to get rid of Relena Peacecraft." Otacon said sadly.

It was then that the team got word that their dinner was ready.

"We can discuss this over dinner." Lady Une said.

The discussion did continue.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Sally asked.

"We need to save Relena." Noin put forward.

"I agree." Duo said. "We're gonna have to put the anti-Metal Gear stuff on hold for now."

"We may be able to halt Metal Gear for a while, but Miss Relena is the only one who can convince people to really be at peace."

"Trowa's right." Otacon said. "Saving her is a must. If she dies, no one will be powerful enough to question Solidus' legitimacy, and that is more important than pulling triggers. What we need now is a plan."

"We need to infiltrate that party and get her out of there." Wufei said.

"But how many should go?" Duo asked.

"I think that Solidus' mansion itself is a solo job. Any more than that will be too easy to discover." Trowa quipped.

"Yes. Someone needs to go into that mansion and bring her out before this Vamp can get to her!" Quatre said in a desperate tone.

Milliardo was becoming angry. He wouldn't let Solidus hurt his little sister. No, he had to protect her. His flesh and blood, his baby sister!

Heero thought to himself. He wouldn't let Solidus or his blood-sucking freak of a friend anywhere near his angel. He promised her a long time ago that he would protect her, and that's exactly what he intended to do.

"I'LL GO!" Heero and Milliardo both stood and shouted at the same time. They stared at each other. "YOU?!" They shouted at each other.

"Yuy, you threatened to kill her before! Why should you be trusted to take care of my baby sister?!"

"Me?! It was you Zechs, if you remember correctly, who imprisoned her on Libra and was going to crash it into Earth-her along with it! Who saved her from that, from YOU? ME!" Heero countered.

"Oh god. Here we go..." Noin sighed.

"YOU ABANDONED HER YUY! YOU CALL THAT PROTECTION?!"

"IF YOU WOULD LET ME EXPLAIN I WOULD-!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Snake shouted, quickly silencing both of them. "Cut the bullshit already. I'll do it."

"Snake, you sure?" Lady Une asked him.

"I saved Relena's life once. I can do it again."

"Wait Snake." Duo said. "You saved Relena's life before?"

"Yeah. When the Alliance attacked the Sanc Kingdom in 182 I went there and fought them, and I saved both Milliardo and Relena."

"It is true." Milliardo confirmed. "Besides myself, there's no one I'd rather see do this. I trust you, Snake."

Snake nodded. Heero looked on in disbelief. Snake was always full of surprises, just being there to talk being one of them. "Snake, do you know what Solidus meant by 'Outer Heaven'?"

"Hmm." Snake said, thinking. "After I escaped Alliance custody, I ran around, trying to hide. Eventually I found Big Boss. He promised me that he would keep me hidden forever if I found out more about a thing called 'Outer Heaven' for him. What it really was though was Big Boss trying to use Metal Gear, the TX-55 model to create the nation of Outer Heaven and challenge the Alliance. Is...that what Solidus wants to do...?"

"It must be." Otacon said. "He wants to follow in his 'father's' footsteps."

It all made sense now. Solidus was even madder than they thought. He wanted a new Metal Gear to create Outer Heaven and challenge the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. That must be his objective. It wasn't a misguided effort at public service, it was his own selfish ambition.

"Of course, this is just an educated guess. We're gonna have to find out for sure." Otacon said.

"Right." Snake agreed. "Maybe when I'm at Solidus' house I can upload a Trojan into his computer?"

"Great idea Snake! I'll go work on a program right now!" Otacon said excitedly, taking his food down into the bunker's control center.

"He sounds excited." Duo muttered.

"He loves doing that stuff. It gives him a bit of a thrill." Snake replied with a small chuckle. "Well, I'm done, see you all a little later." Snake said, getting up.

He went back upstairs to his room. Now was the time to mentally prepare himself. In two days, he'd be doing a field op. And while he definitely had his experience, and had worked on keeping himself sharp, this would be the first one in seven years. It was then that Snake discovered that Heero had followed him back to his room. He lit a cigarette.

"Snake, can I ask you something?"

"What? Heero, you impress me, you really do, and it's not often that I say that. Way too much I meet posers who think they're tough, think that war is a game, but just seeing you, I know you have your act together. However, you are on my short list right now with your bitching with Milliardo."

"Thanks, Snake, that means a lot to me coming from you. I apologize it's just that..."

"You care about her a lot. In fact, you love her with every fiber of your being. I know, it's written all over your face. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Snake then lifted the cigarette box toward Heero, offering him one.

Heero broke out of his slightly stunned frame of mind and managed a smile with an "I don't smoke."

"Rhm. Everyone's so health-conscious these days."

Heero laughed. "Snake, I need to ask you...do you know anything about the la-li-lu-le-lo?"

For the first time in a while, Snake himself was stunned. In fact, his jaw dropped. This kid knew? He really must have something going for him. Quickly regaining his composure, Snake stood up and looked at him.

"The Patriots..."

Relena sat in her hotel room, pampering herself. She tied her hair into her usual long ponytail and tied it together with a dark blue bow. She took a careful look into her mirror one last time. Blinking a few times, she decided that she looked all right. Why did she always have to make herself look pretty? For...Sears? She would be going to another party...alone. She had refused every man who had wanted to accompany her. How long was she going to be alone? A tear fell down her cheek. No, she couldn't think about him, she'd ruin her makeup! She sighed, exiting her room and going to her car. She arrived at the party around 10 minutes later. Exchanging cordial greetings with some colleagues and a few guests she was introduced to, she strolled to take her assigned seat.

Meanwhile, a helicopter was approaching as close as it could to the President's home. It's pilot was Sally Po, who had come along for two reasons. The first was that she was adept at piloting this model of helicopter, and the second was her medical skills...just in case. Wufei waited at a small airport with a plane he had used to fly them down there. His status was still active in the Preventers, and he had used his rank to divert a few assets for his use.

"All right, Snake, you know the drill here." Otacon said to him over the Codec from the control room in Maine. "Sally, you're getting pretty close, I think you should drop Snake there."

"Roger that. Snake, I'll come back and pick you up when you signal for me."

Snake nodded and got out of the chopper. Sally flew off. He was on the outer grounds of Solidus' property. It was a warm and humid winter night in sub-tropical South Carolina, a drastic change from the cold of Maine, and especially Alaska. Snake began to sweat.

"All right Snake, you have the disc with you?"

"Yeah." Snake affirmed as he took out and lit a cigarette.

"Remember, your first priority is to get Relena out of there. But you won't be able to do that while she's eating in Solidus' main dining room. In the meantime, try and get to his computer and put that disc in. It'll install a Trojan on his hard drive that will let us see what he's up to."

"Solidus is bound to discover it. He'll change his plans."

"I considered that. That's why it will self-delete in three hours. That'll give me enough time to get what we need."

"Self-deleting Trojan, huh? That's a first Otacon."

"New times call for new measures. Anyway, you're gonna have to wait until Relena is alone to talk her into leaving. Maybe a bathroom break or something."

The last comment had Heero and Milliardo glaring. Did he just say Snake was going to be with her in a bathroom? Noin and Duo seemingly read their minds and were laughing lightly. Lady Une angrily told them all to get back to work.

"I know. Hold on. I see the house."

Snake threw the cigarette onto the ground, ran and activated the active camouflage. He climbed up and down the main gate. After running for a little while the stealth camo deactivated. Snake grunted.

"Otacon, we've really gotta find a way to make this thing more stable." He said as he arrived just outside the mansion.

"Sorry, it's still got lots of bugs in it. Anyway Snake, I've sent you a blueprint of the mansion's ground plan on your Codec. The Soliton radar will work in conjunction with your AP sensor to show you the locations of the security detail, and any other human life form if you're curious."

Snake took out his scope and looked around at the patrolling security. "Everything seems to be in order."

"I've given you the modified M9 designed to shoot the tranquilizer darts. We wouldn't want to kill any of the Preventers guarding this thing."

"Better make sure I don't run into Vamp then."

"You better. All right, Snake, here's the deal: you can't afford to raise an alert. So, until you have Relena in tow, no shooting."

"Great. All right. I should be ok."

"If you need me, I'll be available on the Codec. Sally will be there to pick you up when you radio for her, and the crew is working all around. Good luck Snake."

"Roger that, see you in a few."

After hanging up, Snake immediately went to work. Seeing a remote staircase to the mansion's second floor balcony, and after checking to see if it was clear, he walked up them. Solidus' computer would probably be on the top floor, which was still another story up. He saw a double glass door, but a Preventer stood at the other end of the balcony. Waiting behind a dark corner for him to leave, Snake quickly opened the door and closed it behind him. After making his way through a dark hall, he saw a balcony that overlooked the dining room on the first floor, but there were two Preventers walking around it at all times. This wasn't going to work; he'd have to find another way around. He'd have to go back outside and around the balcony. Waiting for the Preventer to make his run near the staircase he had climbed, Snake opened the double doors and closed them. Snake ran to the far side of the balcony and around, where he saw a door at the end, near a corner. Checking the radar, Snake saw that a Preventer was on the way there, he made his way as quickly, but stealthily as he could to the door, opened it, and closed it behind him. He was in some sort of den. He could see that there was a guard on the outside of the door.

Relena went through her meal, listening to various speakers and talking with the colleagues who came her way. The food wasn't too bad, and the wine was on the verge of excellent. Sears had at least shown his guests good hospitality, she thought. It was then that Sears himself went up to address his guests.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining me this evening."

By this time, Snake had managed to sneak into the adjoining hallway, facing another direction of the overlooking balcony that he could not get by earlier. Seeing that it was clear, and the fact that Solidus was talking, he snuck up a staircase to the third floor. Snake waited for a Preventer to pass him by and then made his way down the hall. Seeing that a guard was approaching on the radar, Snake went into the nearest room, which was clear. It was obviously the master bedroom of the house. Perhaps he would find Solidus' computer in there. Lo and behold, Snake found a laptop on the dresser. He then heard his Codec ring.

"Snake, wait, that isn't Solidus' computer." Otacon quipped on the other end.

"How could it not be?"

"Well...it is...but that isn't the one I wanted. Solidus takes that computer around with him, he might not be able to upload some of his more...personal stuff on it."

"Well, what computer were you talking about?" He asked, remembering that his techie friend sometimes annoyed him.

"A desktop in his office. It should be down the hall. Wait for your radar to clear up and then go over there."

In a couple of minutes, Snake saw that it was clear to move out. After opening the door and taking a little peak, he closed it. Solidus' office was down the hall and to the left. Shit, the AP sensor was vibrating and a Preventer was approaching quickly. Snake ran into the office and closed the door behind him. He hid behind a couch as the Preventer went inside to investigate. He walked around the room, a mere foot away from Snake. Thankfully, he must have thought it was nothing as he went out and closed the door behind him.

The crew in Maine breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Had that Preventer taken a few more steps it would have been all over, Snake would have been discovered and Relena would surely be dead by tomorrow morning. Even with all of Snake's skill and their planning, a surprisingly large percentage of success still remained luck.

"That was a close call, Snake." Otacon breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, there's Solidus' computer. Go and put in that disc."

Snake went over to the computer, which sat in front of a set of large glass windows. He could see the dining room from the office, looking toward the entrance, which must mean that Solidus was directly below him, still speaking. Getting back on task, Snake sat down and put the disc Otacon had given him into the CD drive. The program uploaded automatically, in about five seconds the upload was complete. Snake took out the disc.

"The upload is complete, Otacon."

"Yeah, I'm already in. Heero, you take point on this for now. Rip as much information from Solidus' computer as you can. I still have to help Snake complete this mission."

"Hn." Was all Heero said in response. He followed the older man's order, but thought he was out of place. He should be the one to be doing this...saving her. But there was no man he respected more than Snake to do it in his place.

Snake got up and looked out the window again, this time with his scope. After scanning the room for a while, he found himself looking into a pair of big sapphire eyes. The woman had honey blonde hair and was wearing a sky-blue dress made of silk. This was no longer the little girl he had saved in the Sanc Kingdom. She certainly had grown since the last time he saw her...in more ways than one. After moving the scope back up to her face, he called Otacon on the Codec.

"Otacon, I see Relena Peacecraft."

The crew in the control room jumped to attention upon hearing the words. Milliardo began to look very anxious while Heero tried his best to continue his task of getting Solidus' information.

"What's she doing?"

"She's sitting around the left center of the room, her eyes are focusing on the front. Solidus must still be talking."

"Sorry, but you're gonna have to camp out there for a while. You have to wait until she leaves that room."

After waiting for a couple of minutes, never taking his scope off of Relena, Snake saw two figures approach her. He zoomed in, but their faces were concealed. After a minute or so, she got up, walking with the two men to the entrance.

"She's leaving, but she's not alone. There are two men with her." Snake reported.

One of the men turned his face. Before he exited the room.

"Otacon! Relena's left the room, but I saw that Ocelot was with her! The other one must be Solidus!"

"Snake, get over there now! Get down to the first floor and try to find them, quick!"

"I'm on it!"

Milliardo instantly showed worry on his face, Noin tried her best to comfort him. He appreciated the gesture and placed his hand in hers.

Snake raced downstairs to the second floor. Quickly hiding himself, he poured over the radar, looking for the nearest way to get down to the first floor. He could go outside and back down the staircase he had first used, but that would be the main entrance and that was definitely out. He took a look; the only way was to get around that balcony that overlooked the dining room and to the right. What to do? Snake took out an empty gun magazine and waited for the nearest Preventer to come nearby. He threw the magazine, causing the Preventer to go and walk in its direction. Snake then, while the other Preventer was looking toward the way to go outside, quietly walked to the staircase and down to the first floor.

Duo was laughing. "Was Snake always such a quick thinker?"

"Why do you think he's considered a legend?" Otacon answered with a slight smile. Otacon then saw that he had a call from Snake.

"I'm on the first floor."

"Ok, avoid the dining room at all costs, that room should be easy to see on the radar. Go and search for Relena."

"Any leads?"

"No."

Snake grunted and took the nearest hallway on the left when the coast was clear. He saw Solidus' kitchen on the next right. Fancying a look through the kitchen, peering through the busy catering crew, Snake saw into Solidus' living room. There were three figures standing there. After seeing a glint of blonde hair, Snake knew that Relena was in there with Solidus and Ocelot. But how to get through the kitchen? Looking around, he saw a cardboard box lying outside. Snake also saw a pile of boxes toward the end of the kitchen that he could use as a backdrop. Checking to see if the coast was clear, Snake quietly got into the box and crouched, checking the radar again, he snuck through the kitchen inside of it, stopping at the end.

"Now he's sneaking around in a cardboard box?" Duo said with a half comedic, half sarcastic tone.

"He really is something." Lady Une chuckled.

Snake could faintly hear the conversation in the living room, although he was a little late. He looked through the tiny slit in the side of the box. Solidus was in a black suit wearing his velvet black cape.

"Miss Relena, what I'm trying to say is that I believe that you should re-consider and we should bring the bill back up. A new Metal Gear will better preserve peace against any enemy of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation."

"I'm sorry, Mr. President. But my decision is final. I really hadn't planned on talking about this tonight, I had planned on enjoying your hospitality."

"Please, Miss Relena, we are not at work. Call me George. And this discussion can end here. We should not be talking about work anyway. Have I told you that you look lovely this evening?"

Relena blushed slightly. "Thank you Mr. Pre- I mean, George."

Ocelot suddenly felt a sensation in his arm, which had him screaming.

"Mr. Ocelot, are you ok?" Relena asked.

"It's still happening?" Sears asked him with a stern tone. "After that transplant surgery in Lyon?"

"It hasn't been this strong in a while...I don't understand."

Snake looked on in wonder from his box. Flashbacks of the Tanker suddenly flooded his mind. What the hell was going on? Could it really be...Liquid? Banishing the thought, Snake focused on his task, continuing to watch carefully.

"George. May I use your bathroom?"

"Of course, Miss Relena. It's down this hall and to the right." He said pointing with a slight smile.

After a curtsy from Relena and a slight bow from Solidus, Snake watched her leave the room.

"That stubborn girl still refuses to agree." Solidus said angrily when he heard a door close.

Ocelot was still recovering from the recent incident with his arm and just nodded.

"Call Vamp, tell him to proceed as planned. No one can say I didn't give her a last chance." Solidus stormed out of the room, passing Snake's box and through the kitchen.

Ocelot looked back to where Relena had just walked out. "A shame such a lovely girl must meet such an early end." Ocelot shook his head and followed Solidus out.

After watching the kitchen crew go to the oven to take out a newly cooked meal, Snake slowly walked out from under the box, and once he was behind the wall in the living room, threw it away. Walking a bit further away from the kitchen, Snake used the Codec.

"Otacon, did you hear that?"

"Sure did. Snake, now's your chance! Get her out of there!" Otacon said in a stern, but somewhat desperate tone.

Milliardo's feet practically pounded the floor where he sat. Desperately trying to remain calm, he stood up and watched the monitors that Otacon was looking at very closely. Heero's typing became a bit harder.

"Hey Heero, are your hands shaking?" Duo asked in wonder, his eyes bulging.

"Shut up." Heero growled at him.

Duo looked back at Quatre, who had put a hand on his shoulder. Quatre's face told the story; Duo better leave Heero alone to sort his feelings out...and do the work that Otacon assigned him.

Snake checked the radar; no Preventers were in this area. He followed the hallway and saw a life form in a room to the left. That must be the bathroom. He went in front of the door and waited. After hearing a toilet flushing and the sink turn on and off, a door opened.

Relena let out a small yelp, as she was suddenly face to face with a tall, well-built man wearing a blue bandana with blue-green eyes and a mullet. He was not dressed in Preventer's gear. She was puzzled.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Are you a Preventer on security?"

Snake put a finger to his lips. "Miss Peacecraft, you need to come with me." He whispered.

"And why is that? I don't even know who you are and now you ask me to go with you?"

"I'm a friend."

Relena suddenly felt puzzled. Somehow she believed someone had said that to her before, it seemed so familiar. "I gave up that name..."

"Relena, you are in grave danger! You have to believe me! I need to get you out of here before-"

"Before what?" She cut him off. "I have social responsibilities at this party! I can't just skip out I need to-"

A clicking noise came out and then a high-pitched sound. A dart hit Relena in the neck. Her eyes closed and she fell to the ground. All of this in less than a few seconds. Snake grimaced.

"He shot her!" Milliardo and Heero both said at the same time in a high-pitched 'I can't believe it tone.'

The rest of the crew except Otacon had shocked expressions as well, it seemed they couldn't believe it either.

"Otacon. I had to use the tranquilizer to sedate her. She was giving me shit and I couldn't afford to argue with her."

"I understand. Just get out of there now. Speed is of the essence. Although I still recommend avoiding contact with anyone if possible, your weapon is free. Fire at will."

Snake put Relena's unconscious form over his shoulder and proceeded back down the hallway. He checked the radar and went down further and then up a staircase to the second floor. The Codec rang.

"How's everything going? Otacon asked. Is Relena making it hard on you?"

"She's heavier than the last time." Snake answered in response.

Several people in the control room in Maine laughed. Snake really did come up with witty responses at times.

"You're almost there. Just keep following this hallway down and you'll come up to that overlooking balcony again. You can then go out the same way you first came in." Otacon hung up.

Snake moved, but the AP sensor was going off and he saw someone was approaching from behind. Snake pulled out his M9 and shot the oncoming Preventer, the tranquilizer dart hitting him right on the chin. He fell unconscious immediately. Moving slowly, he approached the balcony. Putting Relena down, Snake peered out of the corner and took aim, shooting one Preventer who had his back turned behind the neck. The other approached the sleeping body, where Snake put a dart in his temple. Picking up Relena, Snake quickly made his way back to the hallway and through the double glass doors. The Preventer on watch there went to investigate, Snake responded by putting a tranquilizer dart in his head, right above his left eye. Snake walked down the stairs and ran as fast as he could to put as much distance between himself and Solidus' mansion as possible.

"Sally, I've got Relena. I need pickup now." He said over the Codec.

"Roger that Snake, I'm on my way. Meet you where I dropped you off." She hung up.

In a few minutes, the helicopter landed. Snake got on board and put Relena in a seat, strapping her in.

"You sedated her?" Sally asked, surprised.

"It was the only way." Snake said matter-of-factly.

"I see...I'm gonna get us out of here now." She replied going back to her seat in the cockpit.

Snake sat in the seat next to Relena and lit a cigarette as the helicopter took off. Snake had done it; he had saved Relena Peacecraft again.

A man with long black hair and piercing ice blue eyes looked through a pair of binoculars at the sight. That man carrying Relena Peacecraft...it had to be, even though by common knowledge, it couldn't. Solidus would have to hear of this...interesting development after the party.


	5. Shock and Shattered Hearts

**A/N:** Ok, this chapter is gonna be a bit mushy. But the next one will be action-packed, and that is a guaran damn tee! The purpose of this chapter was to take the focus off of Snake a bit and toward Heero-especially in his relationship with Relena.

Chapter Four: Shock and Shattered Hearts

"You're absolutely sure of it?" Solidus asked in anger.

"There's no way it couldn't have been him." A deep voice answered him.

"Is that why my arm bothered me?" Ocelot whispered to himself.

"What was that?" Solidus asked.

"Nothing." Ocelot answered. "We need to figure out a way to deal with this."

"At any rate, I think Relena Peacecraft will be out of our way now. She will be in hiding. We will proceed as per our original plan."

"What about...him? He's bound to be a bigger immediate threat to our designs than Relena Peacecraft." The deep voice asked.

"We'll have to have time to think, Vamp." Solidus answered.

Snake walked into the bunker, cradling Relena in his arms. It was around 2 in the morning. He had given her his coat to keep her warm. Sally walked behind Snake and Wufei closed the door. The crew gathered around.

"Is she all right?" Lady Une asked.

"She's fine." Sally answered. "But she'll be out for another three or four hours."

"She can rest in my room." Milliardo stated.

Snake took his coat off of Relena and placed her in Milliardo's arms. He looked down at his sleeping sister and smiled. She looked peaceful.

"I went out and bought her some clothes." Noin said. "I'll change her when we get to your room, Milliardo."

Milliardo nodded as she walked off.

"Snake...thank you. You saved my sister's life again." He said, emotion overcoming him.

Snake nodded and watched him walk. Otacon came up to him.

"Snake, good job. I've been going over those files from Solidus' computer with Heero. We've found some really interesting stuff, the rest of the files still need to be decrypted though, and it'll take us a day or so to go over them all."

"Well, you can tell me about that when it's all done. I gotta take a shower and unwind." Snake quipped as he walked away, toward his room.

Lady Une and Sally invited Otacon to get a drink with them. Otacon accepted. This left the five former Gundam pilots in the living room to converse among themselves.

"So...she's back." Trowa started the conversation.

"Snake sure did a hell of a job bringing her here! Man, he is good!" Duo said in amazement, remembering Snake's antics at Solidus' party.

"He's definitely earned his reputation." Trowa replied with a smile.

"It was thanks to Wufei that he could even do what he did. If he hadn't heard Solidus and Ocelot she'd be dead..." Quatre said somberly.

"I was lucky to hear that."

"Maybe we should get some drinks?" Duo asked. "I sure could use one!"

Quatre was laughing. "We should all drink a few together...it has been a while since we've all been together, and with the running around over Relena, we haven't had any leisure time."

"It does feel much better around here knowing she's safe and sound." Trowa smiled.

"I haven't had a drink with Sally for a while...I'm game." Wufei added, giving a light smile.

"Heero, you've been real quiet. What's up man?" Duo asked.

Heero made eye contact and looked away. Realizing that Heero could snap at any moment, especially at the fact that it was Duo who was questioning him, the other three pilots began to walk away.

"Why don't you spend some time with her when she wakes up? I'm sure it would mean a lot to her." Duo said kindly.

"I'm not gonna bother her." Heero responded in his monotone.

"Bother her? Heero, there's nothing she'd rather do!" Duo said, almost pleading with him.

"Leave me alone." Heero responded. "Besides, she's gonna have to be debriefed by Snake and Lady Une."

"That'll only be for a little while." Duo responded.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Heero shouted as he went upstairs toward his room.

Duo looked back toward his friends. Quatre looked sad, while the other two were more stoic in their composure.

"Was it something I said?"

"Duo, he probably feels weird. It's been two years since he's even spoken to her." Quatre told him. "He needs to sort out his feelings..."

"I understand..." Duo sighed.

Relena lay on her brother's bed, still fast asleep. It had been at least 8 hours. She was dressed in casual clothes and her hair was down. At around 6 A.M., Just as the Sun rose, she slowly opened her eyes. A flood of thoughts and emotions instantly came to her. The last thing she remembered was getting shot in the neck with a tranquilizer. Where was she? Looking down, she noticed she was dressed differently. Ok, she'd been kidnapped. She knew the drill, it's not like this was the first time.

Relena sat up, rubbing her eyes to get rid of lingering blurriness. Looking around the room, she noticed a man sitting at a table with long platinum blond hair. His chin rested on his fists. He was wearing an outfit that looked familiar to her.

"Good morning Relena." He said without getting up or looking back.

"Milliardo!" She jumped at the sound of his voice. Seeing him turn around, she went and hugged him.

"It's been a while, my dear little sister."

"Milliardo, what's going on? Where am I? What happened?"

"Your life was in danger...we needed to save you."

"What?"

"Sears and Ocelot were planning to have you assassinated, for your opposition to their Metal Gear project."

"No...that's..." Relena sighed. It seemed plausible, and her brother seemed to know what he was talking about.

"What's this 'we' you're talking about?"

"Sears has already begun developing Metal Gear. We've formed a resistance."

"And how do you know this?"

"Lady Une found out. She took a look into his files without authorization."

"So that's why she was dismissed..."

Milliardo nodded.

"Milliardo." Relena said as she watched her brother turn back toward his desk. "That man who shot me. Did he bring me out?"

Milliardo nodded again.

"That man, who was he?"

Milliardo hesitated for a minute.

"Milliardo who was he? Who was that man?"

Milliardo breathed heavily. If she wasn't shocked before she sure would be now. "Solid Snake." He said dryly.

"WHAT?! You must be mistaken. Snake has been dead for seven years!"

"No. It was a cover story. He's alive and well, and you will meet him soon."

Relena's eyes widened. Somehow she believed him. "Milliardo, he said to me that he was 'a friend.' It seemed so familiar." Suddenly, Relena began to see the dots and connected them. "Milliardo, the person who saved us when the Alliance attacked the Sanc Kingdom...that was Solid Snake wasn't it...?" She asked, trailing.

"Yes it was."

'Why didn't anyone tell me?' She thought to herself.

"Relena, why don't I allow you to freshen yourself up a bit? I'm gonna go downstairs and get some breakfast. I'll see you in a little bit."

He kissed her on the forehead and left. Relena sat there for at least 40 minutes lost in a wave of thought. She realized she could better find things out if she would leave the room and look around. As soon as she left she heard a kind voice shouting her name.

"Miss Relena!"

Taking a look, she noticed a familiar face.

"Quatre!"

They hugged.

"I'm so glad you're all right!" Quatre smiled. "I was so worried."

Relena smiled. Quatre had always been a good friend to her. After accepting Quatre's invitation to eat, he showed her around. At the breakfast table, Relena saw many familiar faces, which brightened up the room upon seeing her: Noin, Sally, Duo, Trowa. Even Wufei smiled a bit. She greeted all of them, taking a seat next to her brother. Two more people came into the room. One was Lady Une, the other man she hadn't seen before.

"Relena, glad you're ok!"

"Thank you, Lady Une. It is good seeing you. Milliardo told me why you were dismissed..."

"Yes, we need to stop Metal Gear. At all costs."

Relena nodded in agreement.

"Miss Relena?"

She looked up to see the man who had accompanied Lady Une was looking at her.

"Dr. Hal Emmerich." He held out his hand. "But around these parts I go by Otacon."

"Dr. Emmerich...a survivor of Shadow Moses." She reminded herself, taking his hand.

He nodded. "Unfortunately, I also have 'designer of Metal Gear REX on my résumés."

"We all make mistakes, Dr. Emmerich." She said in forgiveness.

After finishing her breakfast somewhat early, and being told by Lady Une that she would have everything explained to her later today, Relena was told the location of her room and went there to tidy up. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps passing outside. Peaking through her threshold, she saw the back of a man with brown hair, who was wearing a very, very familiar outfit. Her heart skipped a beat as her knees got weak. Could it really be?

"H...Heero?" She said in a low, somewhat distressed tone.

The man stopped in his tracks, and after about 30 seconds, turned around. Their eyes locked, as if they were in a trance.

"Relena..." He whispered, approaching her doorway.

"Would you like to come in, Heero?" She asked, desperately hoping that he would say yes.

"Hn." Heero replied as he slowly walked in, causing Relena to smile.

"Heero, you came?"

"I have to help stop Metal Gear." He responded in his monotone.

"I see..." Relena answered, desperately trying to get off of this topic. "How have you been Heero?"

"Ok I guess..."

After a long silence, but never taking their eyes off of one another, Heero knew what he had to do. Walking directly in front of her, he put his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes and lost herself in their contact, it had been so long. As she quietly opened them, he began to talk.

"Relena I'm sorry about..."

A knock on the threshold interrupted them. Turning around, Heero saw his idol standing there.

"Heero, Otacon needs you downstairs in the control room." He said, eyes telling that he was sorry to interrupt such a tender moment.

"What for?" He asked in his monotone, but with a hint of protest.

"Ehh, something about Solidus' computer files, apparently you're the only one with this access code and he doesn't want to have to hack his way through."

Slowly and reluctantly, Heero walked his way out, turning his head to look back at Relena one more time. The man made his way into the room, past Relena and looking around. He turned around and looked her in the eyes.

"Sorry about shooting you." He said matter-of-factly. "It was the only way to get you out in time."

"That's fine." Relena smiled. "I was arguing with you and I wasn't going to cooperate."

He nodded. After waiting a minute or so, Relena looked at the floor and then back up into his eyes.

"Ummm..." She trailed, dumbfounded. Somehow she still didn't believe that the man standing in front of her was real, he looked exactly like the pictures she had seen of him...but he was dead! "Are you...THE Snake?"

"Rhm." Snake sighed. "Yeah..."

"But you...you died!"

"Obviously not. Otacon managed a life boat to save me from the sinking tanker."

Relena nodded, trying to absorb this revelation. "Snake...you saved my life not once, but twice. Thank you."

"It was nothing. Glad I could help." He smiled. "Unfortunately, you were involved with a crowd that was way more dangerous than you could ever imagine."

"Yes, I'm beginning to hear..." Relena responded slowly. "Snake, is it true? Is Sears already beginning development of a new Metal Gear?"

"Yes. According to what we've already seen on his computer, he began a long time ago, probably when he first became President. When I was at his party, before I picked you up, I uploaded a Trojan onto his computer; Otacon and Heero are analyzing his files as we speak. We'll know much more in a day or so."

Relena nodded with a smile, even though the information was awful. It must have been that she was awed standing in Snake's presence.

"Oh, by the way, Sears isn't who you think he is."

Relena suddenly became more attentive than before. "Who is he then?"

"My brother."

"Your...brother!?"

"You've heard of the Les Enfantes Terribles project I'm sure."

"I've heard the name...but the files are still classified and it's out of my department's jurisdiction, so I've never read them."

"Well, in AC 165, the Alliance made clones from the genes of Big Boss."

"Big Boss?!"

Snake nodded. "Out of that came me, Liquid, and Sears, who is really Solidus Snake. He looks much older than I do because he suffers from advanced cellular degeneration, an after-affect of the cloning process. We believe that Solidus wants to build the new Metal Gear to form a nation called 'Outer Heaven' to challenge the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, just as Big Boss sought to create Outer Heaven to challenge the Alliance."

"I see...a legacy. But that'll just start another war!"

"I know. That's why we have to stop him. We can't allow him to get a new Metal Gear. Because he will use it to start another devastating war in his quest for Outer Heaven. Unfortunately, Relena, at this stage of the game, you can't do much. We have to stop him by force. But you're gonna be needed once this is all over to put sanity back into the world, just like you did during the Eve Wars. Just make it through this so you can do your thing and get us all back on track." Snake smiled.

"Snake...thank you." She hugged him. Snake responded in kind.

"You're more of a person then I could ever hope to be, Relena. I'm glad I was able to keep you alive in 182 so the world could have you. By the way, Lady Une needs to see you about something. Go see her on the first floor in the living room." Snake said as he walked out.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"For a smoke."

After being lost in thought for a few minutes, Relena decided to go and see Lady Une.

Lady Une had wanted Relena to make a press statement about her disappearance from the party. She warned that if Relena did not make a statement soon, Sears...or Solidus (as she now knew the truth) would just take advantage and use it to perhaps justify the development of the new Metal Gear, claiming she'd been kidnapped by terrorists. Relena agreed, and recorded a statement explaining that she had gotten sick and ducked out of the party early, and was recovering while spending time with her brother.

It would work...for a while at least. Lady Une would have the statement released as soon as possible. Sighing, Relena got up and proceeded to walk back to her room, where she heard two familiar voices conversing with one another.

"So, what did you do with her Heero?" Duo teased. "Did you make out with her?"

"Shut up." Heero said, clearly getting pissed off.

"C'mon Heero, don't hide your feelings from your bud. Did you slip in the tongue?"

"SHUT UP DUO! FOR THE LAST TIME! I AM NOT HERE FOR RELENA! STOPPING SOLIDUS AND OCELOT IS MY ONLY CONCERN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

Relena's heart instantly felt like it was run through with a dagger. He wasn't here for her...she had let her feelings get the better of her. She was overjoyed at her earlier encounter with Heero, she even thought he may have wanted to be with her, but she must have been wrong.

'After two years you think he'll suddenly change his mind?' She thought to herself in despair. 'He's just here because of Solidus and his Metal Gear. Our meeting here was just coincidental.' She couldn't think any more, the crying was giving her a headache. She ran to her room in tears, crying herself to sleep for what must have been the umpteenth millionth time.

When dinner rolled around, Relena climbed out of her bed and walked downstairs, without freshening up. She didn't care what she looked like, not now. She was the last one to arrive. Heero offered her a seat next to him, much to the chagrin of Milliardo. Relena kept her calm as best she could, walking up to him. She then slapped him as hard as she could, hot tears streaming down her face. She ran out of the room crying, shocking the gathered crew, even Snake.

"That's it Yuy! I will work with you on stopping Solidus but you stay away from my sister! Never go near her again!" Milliardo growled.

Heero looked on in wonder, unable to think. What the hell just happened?

"I have to talk to her..." He whispered.

Snake got up and put a hand on Heero's shoulder. "You've obviously done something to upset her. She's not gonna talk to you now...you have to give her time."

"You won't be talking to her at all!" Milliardo shouted.

Noin put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder and asked him to come along with her to their room. She would have to talk some sense into him and calm him down.

Heero excused himself from the table, going upstairs to his room. It took him four restless hours to fall asleep that night.

"Snake, I've found something big." Otacon said to Snake in the control room. "Real big."


	6. What is Arsenal?

**A/N:** As promised, this one is action packed.

Chapter Five: What is Arsenal? 

Snake, Lady Une, and Otacon called a meeting in the control room at 7:30 the next morning. Relena was absent. Since she wouldn't be doing any fighting, or even help to do any fighting, she was technically not a member of the organization and did not need to attend. 

"Now that Relena is safe, we will begin our anti-Metal Gear purpose." Lady Une informed the crew. "Otacon has found an important thing within Solidus' files and we must act on it." 

Otacon stepped up and spoke. "I've found the location of a secret Unified Army naval base where the new Metal Gear may be being developed. I've been going over the files on this place and I keep hearing this word 'Arsenal.' It's obvious that we need to check this place out and find out what this 'Arsenal' is." 

"Do you think it's the new Metal Gear?" Duo blurted out. 

"It's possible." Otacon replied. "Unfortunately his files don't have anything further, no blueprints or the like. But I'm sure something's gotta be lying around that base." 

"The base is near Havana." Lady Une stated. 

"We'll be moving out shortly." Snake addressed them. "Everyone get ready. The seven of us will be on field ops." He pointed to the former Gundam pilots and Milliardo, who would go by Zechs shortly. "Sally and Noin will come with us to provide off-field backup. Otacon will be our main coordinator and Lady Une will issue any new orders from here." He explained. "Everyone go to your rooms and gear up. We move out in one hour." Snake ordered as he walked out, lighting a cigarette. 

"Snake, before you go." Otacon stopped him. "We need to tell about them..." He looked down at the floor. "There are too many references within Solidus' files to not tell about them." 

Snake closed his eyes and nodded. 

"Tell us about what?" Noin asked. 

"The Patriots..." Otacon said trailing. 

"Milliardo, you look somewhat shocked." Relena said to her brother as he geared up. "Was it something Snake told you?" 

Milliardo slowly nodded his head. 

"What was it?" 

"It's nothing...nothing you should be concerned with." He turned around. "I am sorry Relena, I told you after the Mariemaia Incident that I'd never go to war again. Forgive me." 

Relena followed her brother outside. "Milliardo, I understand. No one could have foreseen Solidus' determination to start another war. You have to do this." 

Snake walked into Heero's room, geared up. 

"Ready to go?" 

"Hn." He nodded, getting up and walking out with him. 

"How are you holding up?" Snake asked with some concern. 

Heero just looked down at the floor, unable to respond. 

"Heero, if you don't feel right, you can skip out on this, help us from here." 

"No, Snake. I'm a soldier, I will do what soldiers do." He said as calmly as he could. 

Milliardo kissed his sister's forehead. Just as he was about to leave, he saw them coming. Relena began to push herself deeper into her brother's chest, eyes tearing up. She trembled. 

"Ready to go, Zechs?" Snake asked, using his mission name since they were officially on a mission. 

He nodded. 

"Heero..." Relena whispered. 

"Yuy! Get away from here!" He screamed. 

"Sorry to interject, but is this gonna be a problem?" Snake demanded. 

"No, Snake." Zechs said sadly. 

"Good, let's go, now." He ordered. 

"Relena I..." Heero almost begged. 

She ran back to her room in tears. 

"Don't talk to her!" Zechs yelled, going toward the living room to meet up with the rest of the crew. 

Snake sighed. "C'mon kid, we've gotta go." 

The crew headed out in the plane that Wufei had gotten for his use. They arrived outside of Havana in two hours and 30 minutes. 

Heero could only think of Relena on the way over there, and what Snake had said to him on the plane. 

Flashback 

"I figured out why you haven't talked to Relena in two years." Snake said matter-of-factly. 

"What? When?" He asked in disbelief. 

"Around the time you were putting your fingers through her hair." 

"Don't tell her. Please don't. I want to be the one to tell her." 

Snake nodded in response, lighting a cigarette. 

End Flashback 

"Otacon, where's this base?" Snake asked via the Codec. 

"I'm sending you all the coordinates now." 

He did so, and the crew drove toward the location. Sally and Noin would stay back, while the former Gundam pilots, Zechs, and Snake infiltrated the base, looking for clues about this 'Arsenal.' Noin kissed her boyfriend good-bye and they walked just outside the grounds of the base. Wufei and Trowa took two PSG-1s and tranquilized the guards on the towers, the crew agreed that they did not want anyone to die...at least not yet. Once the guards were taken care of, Quatre and Duo cut holes within the chain-link fence, Otacon had shut the electric voltage system for it down. 

Snake was the first one in, followed by Heero and Zechs. The others came in immediately after. They quickly hid themselves behind an outer building. 

"I think we should split up." Trowa suggested. "This base is big and we'll have a much better chance to keep our presence here secret for a longer time." 

"That's true, and if some get captured the rest can still work, and hopefully pull off a rescue." Duo agreed. 

The entire team agreed. Trowa went with Quatre, Duo went with Wufei, and Snake, Heero, and Zechs went together as a three-man team. 

"Remember, as soon as any of you find a computer that has files on Metal Gear or blueprints or something, let me know." Otacon told them as they moved out. 

Duo and Wufei snuck toward the southern entrance to the base's main building, trying to remain unseen, which was hard to do in the Havana sunlight. A guard spotted Duo. As he was about to radio for assistance Wufei snuck around behind him and knocked him out with a rear-naked choke. Moving behind a large stack of metal boxes, they observed the entrance that they needed to cover. There were several guards on patrol, and two standing on either side of the door. 

"We can take them." Duo whispered eagerly. 

"Don't be so excited. If we just charge in there we're dead or captured for sure." Wufei growled. 

"Yeah, you're right." Duo replied, shaking the gung-ho thoughts off. "Let's wait for the patrols to lighten. We'll take the two guards." 

They both nodded. Waiting for a few minutes, they made their way to either end of the stack of boxes and jumped out, charging the two stationary guards. Before they could get out their weapons, Duo took his guard down with a tackle and knocked him out with a series of strikes to the temple. Wufei knocked his target out with a single, powerful kick to the face. They took a look at the door. It required a code to be punched in. Duo used his Codec to call Otacon. 

"Otacon, it's Duo. Wufei and I have reached the southern entrance to the main building but the door requires a code to open it. Do you have any ideas?" 

"I'll break into the base's mainframe. I should get the access code from there. This could take a minute or two though so be on your guard." 

"Wait, what if you're traced?" Duo asked with concern. 

Otacon laughed. "That won't happen. I'll run circles around these guys." 

"Ok, I hope you're right." 

After a couple of minutes of waiting filled with tension, and a few knocked out guards, the door pinged open and they went inside. 

Trowa and Quatre had gotten inside the main building through a somewhat concealed side door. Trowa had taken his pistol, the .45 SOCOM that was issued to the entire team, and used it to knock the door's guard out by pistol butting the back of his head. The door required only a keycard, which Quatre had retrieved from the fallen guard and used it to get inside, Trowa close behind.

Zechs kneed a guard in his stomach, then delivered a strong punch to the temple, knocking him out. Snake did his trademark two punches and jumping spinning kick to knock another guard out while Heero maneuvered behind another and used a rear naked choke.

"Zechs! Watch it!" Heero screamed.

Zechs turned around to realize that a pistol was pointed at his head. Almost without thinking, Heero ran, knocked the pistol out of the guard's hand with a kick, and then impaled his boot into the assailant's stomach. Snake finished him off with a rear naked choke of his own.

"You all right?" Heero asked.

"I wasn't expecting that from you..." Zechs answered.

"C'mon, we're wasting time." Snake stated. "Otacon, get us inside." 

Trowa and Quatre walked down a long, narrow hallway as quickly as they could. This was a spot that beckoned death. If they were surrounded on both sides they'd be dead for sure. Although they were trying not to kill anyone, they had their M4 assault rifles drawn, Quatre walking in front and Trowa walking backwards behind him, covering the rear. Fortunately, they made it through without incident. 

"I'm glad that's over!" Quatre whispered. 

Trowa just nodded and looked ahead. They were in some sort of gloomy office room. It was heavily guarded. 

"I wonder what's so important in here?" Quatre wondered. 

Snake led the way, M4 out, followed by Zechs, and then Heero in the back, their M4s also ready. They had wandered around for quite some time, and a lot of unconscious bodies lay in their wake. The base was obviously on a heightened state of alert, as the radar showed movement everywhere. 

"Snake, Heero, Zechs, you guys are coming close to the base's main control room." Otacon said to them via the Codec. 

"How do we get in there without going in with blazing guns?" Zechs asked. 

"I have an idea." Snake said. "Heero, open the door. Zechs, get out a flashbang and get on the other side of the threshold." 

Zechs nodded and did as instructed. Heero opened the door. Snake threw a flashbang into the room, followed by Zechs. The three of them rushed into the room, knocking as many guards out as they could with their rifle butts during the time they were stunned. They had managed to get them all.

"Otacon, we're in the base's control center, all of the guards are out." Snake said with a grunt. 

Quatre and Trowa had just finished off knocking out the last guard. They looked around on desks and through files to figure out what was so important that needed to be guarded. Trowa found something hidden behind other files, opening the folder up, he saw a set of blueprints.

"Quatre, I think I've hit the jackpot." Trowa held up the blueprints as Quatre smiled and nodded. 

"Otacon, it's Trowa. I've found a set of blueprints." 

"Good. Snake, Heero, and Zechs are in the base's main control room. They're setting a connection up to our system so I can see what's going on in there. You guys get out of that base with those blueprints on the double! Go to where Sally and Noin are waiting." 

"We're on our way." Trowa responded. 

As Trowa and Quatre prepared to exit the control room a man seemingly from nowhere landed in front of the door. He had a green jacket on but no shirt under it; he was carrying a set of knives and had long black hair. 

Back in Maine, Relena had made her way down to the control room. It was obvious to both Otacon and Lady Une that she had been crying. 

"Miss Relena, what brings you down here?" Otacon asked in as kind a tone as possible. 

"I just wanted to check how things are going. Is that ok or will I just distract you?" 

Lady Une gave a light smile. "Why don't you sit over there, Relena?" She suggested, pointing to a seat on the opposite side of the room. 

Getting up from her seat, she guided Relena over to where she had wanted her to sit. The seat was close enough to see what was going on clearly, but not too close that she'd be a distraction. 

"How are you feeling?" Lady Une whispered, putting a hand on Relena's back.

"Better." She smiled. "Thank you." 

"Lady Une! Quick!" Otacon called. 

"What is it?" 

"Trowa and Quatre have a major problem on their hands! It's Vamp!" 

Lady Une rushed over to where she had been sitting while Relena took a curious look. This was the man she had been told would have assassinated her. 

Vamp looked at the former 03 and 04 pilots in curiosity. 

"Your smell...it's new." He said in a low, raspy voice. Vamp took out one of his knives and slid its tip across his chest, twice. "You two will be the first today." He stated in his eerie voice. 

"And this is the man Solidus assigned to kill me..." Relena said in a voice of wonder. 

Otacon and Lady Une had noticed that she was now standing directly behind them. Neither of them replied. 

"Who...are you?" Quatre asked in disbelief. 

Vamp just snarled and ran toward Quatre, knife drawn. Trowa started to open fire with his M4 but Vamp easily dodged the bullets. With a duck and a twirl, Vamp slashed Quatre's calf, bringing him down. 

"Snake!" Otacon called. "I've got what I need from the control center. Trowa and Quatre are under attack by Vamp! They need help!" Otacon screamed. 

"Roger that. Heero! Zechs! We need to move!" 

Just as the two of them nodded, the base's alarm went off. Guards came swarming on an upper balcony that overlooked the control room on all sides. The three men fired their M4s in different directions, trying to get the guards to cover as they did their best to get out. Two guards jumped down, Heero immediately reacted and shot them both, they lay on the ground in a bloody heap. 

"Great...the alarm." Duo muttered. 

"It looks like we're in some sort of hangar..." Wufei observed. 

"Why would they need a hangar like this in a naval base...?" Duo wondered "Anyway, it looks empty...except for the guards of course." 

"Duo, Wufei." Otacon said over the Codec. "There's nothing in there...get out now. Get out of that base!" 

"Wait!" Wufei stated suddenly. "Duo look over there. "Otacon, I think there's a large blueprint lying on the metal table in the center of this room." 

"Hmmm..." Otacon thought. "We need those prints. Good eyes, Wufei." 

"Get them! I don't care how, just do it!" Lady Une ordered. 

Wufei and Duo decided to do it the old fashioned way. They threw a few grenades, blasting the guards full of shrapnel. After finishing off the survivors with their M4's, they approached the table, always on their guard. A woman dressed in a blue shirt approached them. She had blonde hair and had a very very big gun. She activated it, the gun's electricity surged. 

"I'm offering either of you two a challenge." She stated matter-of-factly. "Kill me!" 

"Fine by me!" Wufei screamed with a war cry. He opened fire, but his entire clip of M4 rounds missed, even though his aim was dead on. He looked on in shocking disbelief. 

"What the hell?!" Duo screamed in equal disbelief. Duo loaded a grenade into his M204 launcher that was attached to his rifle and fired. It was a dud. He just stared, eyes wide. 

"It seems you've both failed." She said somewhat sadly. 

"...Who are you?" Wufei asked in shock. 

"My name is Helena Dolph Jackson. I also go by Fortune, but I am not fortunate in anything other than war." 

She raised her huge railgun, and fired in Duo's direction, he just managed to dodge the incoming charge. Wufei made an attempt to get the blueprints, but Fortune fired at him, he was so close to the charge that he had gotten a slight cut on his face. 

"I see. So you want these do you?" She took a look. "Well, if you can kill me, you can have them." 

Wufei rolled, reloaded and fired another clip. Every round missed again. 

Trowa slowly backed up, trying to protect Quatre, who was losing a lot of blood and writhing in pain. 

"Your movements are so easy to predict. You announce them a long time before you even flex a muscle." 

Trowa looked on in astonishment, and fired again. Vamp spun and dodged all of his shots, then gave a low roar. The door leading to the room then opened. Zechs busted in and fired. Vamp jumped up and did a back flip, carrying him up to the ceiling and taking cover in the catwalks, where Zechs lost sight of him. 

Snake was the second one in the room, and Heero was covering the rear. 

"What the hell is that thing...?" Zechs asked, trailing. 

"Vamp." Snake answered him. "Trowa, you all right?" Snake asked, making his way toward him and Quatre. 

"Yes, but unfortunately Quatre is in real bad shape." 

"Quatre, can you hear me?" Snake asked. 

"Yes...Snake!" 

"Take it easy, we're gettin you out of here." Snake said, motioning for Trowa to come over. "Got the blueprints?" 

Trowa nodded, taking out the folded papers. 

Snake nodded back, taking them. "He's lost a lot of blood. Trowa, carry him out of here. Keep a pistol handy just in case. We'll cover you." 

Trowa took Quatre over his shoulder, pulling his .45 into his free hand. 

"Where's Vamp?" Zechs asked. 

"He could be anywhere." Snake turned to answer him. "Keep an eye open and your trigger ready." 

Heero heard a slight sound of metal coming out of a sheath. As if out of nowhere, Heero opened fire, shooting a knife out of the air that was heading straight toward Zechs. Continuing his fire, the bullets hit the metal of the catwalk, and then finally hit Vamp in the chest several times. Vamp screamed and fell to the floor some twenty feet below with a thud. 

"Nice shooting kid!" Snake said, giving a thumbs up. 

"Wow..." Otacon said in amazement. "He got him..." 

Relena eyed the large screen in the control room. "Heero..." 

Zechs looked at the knife that would have certainly killed him with wide eyes. Yuy had saved his life...for the second time today. 

"Is he dead?" Heero asked Snake. 

"I doubt it. That bastard's survival capability is eerie. But it does give us a chance to get out of here. C'mon! Now!" 

The group ran out of the room and into the corridor Trowa and Quatre had gone through earlier. They were met with a patrol of soldiers at the other end. Snake, Heero and Zechs greeted them with a wall of lead. 

"Wufei, what the hell are we gonna do?" Duo asked, breathing heavily in their cover spot. 

"I don't know." He whispered back. "Nothing can hit her! And we need those blueprints!"

"...I've got it. Cover your eyes!" 

Wufei knew immediately what Duo had in mind and did so. Duo threw a flashbang, causing Fortune to lose sight and hearing for a few seconds, just enough time for Wufei to grab the blueprints and make a run for it. He was immediately followed out by Duo. 

"Otacon!" Duo frantically called. "We ran into this chick who we couldn't do anything against, all our shots missed and even our grenades were all duds! Wufei got the blueprints and we're running for our lives!" 

"Fortune..." Otacon trailed. "Get out of there as soon as possible. On your current course you should meet up with Snake and the others soon. We have what we need." 

"Roger that!" Duo hung up. 

In a few excitement-filled minutes, the group did indeed meet up as they all ran out. The group had their guns covering all possible venues of attack as they made their way outside. As they got out into the sunlight and could see the blue of the ocean, a man standing on the base's dock clapped. He was wearing a black cape. 

"Very impressive. I must admit I didn't expect this to happen. You showed skill, and not only that-innovation! I suppose I should reward you all with what you've taken from this base. But I am not a generous person. Give me those blueprints and I promise you all your deaths will be quick." 

Otacon and Lady Une looked with determination while Relena watched in sadness. How could she not have seen this man for who he really was-the man who stood on that dock? 

"You can forget it. We're stopping you." Heero said in his monotone. 

Solidus laughed. "Heero Yuy. The former pilot of the Wing Zero!" 

Heero looked surprised. 

"Yes, don't think I haven't figured out who all of you are. I still find it hard to believe you're teaming up with Milliardo Peacecraft, or is it Zechs Merquise? What name do you go by now?" He asked in a mocking tone. Your fights during the Eve Wars are legendary! "But I must admit. There was one thing that surprised me...you! Snake! Welcome back to the land of the living-brother." 

"You're no brother of mine." Snake said coldly. He then opened fire. Solidus threw his cape off, revealing his power armor and with furious velocity, dodged some shots while the others glinted off of his armor. Undeterred, Snake put a grenade into his M204 and shot the ground where Solidus stood, sending him into the sea. Snake looked on in wonder. Had he killed him? 

A few seconds later, Solidus emerged...but on top of a high-pitched roaring mobile suit that popped out of the water. 

"Holy shit!" Duo said in disbelief. "That must be Metal Gear!" 

"Oh my God..." Relena said in sadness. "It's already operational..." 

"Something's not right here..." Otacon said. 

"What?" Lady Une asked in wonder. "What's wrong?" 

"That's Metal Gear RAY. We've seen it before..." Otacon went on. "We can talk about this when they get back. Right now we need to get them out of there." 

"Right." Lady Une nodded. 

"This game's over Snake!" He said, getting in the cockpit. 

"Everyone! Run!" Snake ordered. 

The crew ran as fast as they could out of the base. Trowa trailed behind as he was carrying Quatre. Duo voluntarily went back to help carry Quatre, thus allowing Trowa to run a little faster. 

"Sally! Noin! We need to get out of here!" Snake called. 

The car they had used drove up. Trowa and Duo carefully put Quatre in the back, Sally checking the wound. 

"He's not looking good. We need to get him on the plane quickly!" Sally said. 

The crew got in, but Metal Gear RAY was following them. Almost without thinking, Heero went toward the trunk, grabbed a Stinger, and aimed at RAY's leg. The missile hit, causing the Metal Gear to fall to one knee. Heero then launched another Stinger at the cockpit-direct hit.

"ARGHHH!" Solidus screamed, quickly getting out, holding a hand over his eye. 

"That ought to hold him for a while." Heero said in his monotone as the car drove off at top speed. 

In a few minutes, they got to the plane and took off. Looking down, they could see more Metal Gear RAYs come out of the water by the base. 

"Great. There's more than one!" Wufei said in shock. 

"Something isn't right here..." Snake muttered. 

"What?" Zechs asked. 

"We'll talk about it in debriefing." He grunted. 

Heero gathered his thoughts. What could Snake be talking about?


	7. Shadow of the Patriots

Chapter 6: Shadow of the Patriots 

"What I'm saying is the suit we saw is not the new Metal Gear." Snake said during the debriefing section back in the control room. 

"What do you mean, Snake?" Quatre asked in an exhausted voice, as he was just patched up by Sally. 

"What we saw was Metal Gear RAY. RAY is not new." Snake answered him. 

"We need to take a trip down memory lane, back to 193." Otacon injected, backing him up. "Do any of you remember the pictures that were released after the tanker sunk?" He asked the crew. 

"Yes!" Lady Une said, suddenly remembering. "Those pictures were of what we saw today...Metal Gear RAY!" 

Snake and Otacon both nodded. 

"But Snake, I thought that thing was destroyed with the tanker!" Noin put forth. 

"So did I." Snake answered. 

"Snake, I need you to think." Otacon stated. "Before the explosion knocked you unconscious, what happened? What did Ocelot say?" 

Relena had gone to the kitchen for a snack, but the voices coming from the control room intrigued her. She decided to secretly listen to the debriefing...that way she wouldn't have to see...no. She wouldn't even think of his name. 

"First he said something about 'taking it back.' Then he said 'returned to the Patriots.' Ocelot activated the Semtex and blew the Tanker up...then when I think of it, I faintly heard RAY activating." 

The group was lost in thought for a few moments. 

"But if Ocelot 'returned' RAY to the Patriots, why would Soidus be using it?" Milliardo asked, puzzled. 

"A better question is why is Ocelot working with Solidus?" Heero injected. "If what Snake said is true, Ocelot has some sort of connection to the Patriots. Why would they want Solidus to go ahead with his Outer Heaven plan? Think about it. Solidus probably wants to challenge the Patriots...no puppet ever appreciates its puppeteer."

"That's true." Wufei said. "RAY can't be the new Metal Gear. But what about the other set of blueprints that Duo and I found? They are not of RAY." 

"I will analyze those later." Otacon answered. "Something big is going on here. But why would the Patriots be allowing Solidus to do all of this? Unless they don't know." 

Relena was getting more and more confused. What were they all talking about?! Patriots? Puppets and puppeteers? She was getting a headache! Relena hadn't even noticed that she had entered the control room. 

"I don't think we'll find any of that out until later." Snake grunted. "First things first. We need to find out what Arsenal is...we can worry about the Patriots later." 

The group nodded. 

"Relena..." Heero was the first one to notice her. 

Now she realized why she didn't want to be in the control room. She ran out. Heero ran out after her. Milliardo tried to run out and stop him but was blocked by Snake, who gave him a slight glare. Milliardo eased himself; he definitely did not want to cross Snake. Noin kissed him lightly. 

"You have to let her take care of herself...she's a grown woman." She said lightly, whispering in his ear. 

"Besides." Snake added in a hard voice. "It's the least you can do to thank him for saving all of our asses today. Especially yours." 

Milliardo sighed in defeat. They were both right. 

Heero caught up with her in the hallway that led to the various bedrooms. He put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around. 

"Relena, what are you just gonna run away from me forever?" He asked in a somewhat angry tone. 

"I have nothing to say to you." She said with fiery determination. She tried to walk away but Heero grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. 

"No. You're going to talk to me and you're going to talk to me now." Heero said, walking them both into his room, still holding onto her wrists. "I don't even get what you got so upset about." 

"DON'T PRETEND LIKE I DON'T KNOW, HEERO! I HEARD EVERYTHING YOU SAID TO DUO!" 

"What? That? Relena, when by chance did you first happen to notice us talking?" 

"When you told him you weren't here for me, that all you were here for was to stop Solidus and Ocelot." She said, a tear coming down her cheek. 

"Relena...yes, I did come here to stop them...but I didn't mean anything of what I said about you. Duo pisses me off." 

Relena managed a small smile. "So you're saying you care about me?" 

"I wouldn't be with you here now if I didn't." He said matter-of-factly. 

She smiled lightly. 

"Shooting Vamp was the most satisfying part of today's mission. Because I knew he would have killed you had we not intervened. Besides, I also saved your brother's life...that was the second time today, I knew that would make you happy too." 

"That and the fact that Snake complimented you." She said sarcastically with a smirk. 

"That was nice too." He acknowledged with a smile. 

Relena turned around and saw a picture on Heero's dresser. She went and picked it up. 

"You still have our picture..." She said, tearing up. 

"Why would I not have it?" He asked in his monotone. 

She ran and hugged him. Heero held her like the way he did on Libra. 

"Heero...why did you just vanish two years ago...?" She asked in a sad voice, trying her best to hold back the water. 

His face turned serious. Breaking their embrace, he closed the door. 

"Relena, I'm sorry. I did it to protect you." 

"Protect me from what...?" She asked, sitting on his bed. 

"Relena, for your safety I think this discussion should end here." He stated in his usual monotone. 

"Heero...tell me. Please tell me." She desperately asked with sadness in her voice. 

Seeing that she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, he responded. "How much of the debriefing did you hear earlier today?" He asked. 

"Around the time Snake said that what you saw wasn't the new Metal Gear..." She trailed. "Why, does it have something to do with all of this?" 

"Kind of...but it isn't about Metal Gear. That's more recent. It's about something else we talked about, the Patriots." 

She remembered. "Why does everyone know about that except me?" She asked with fire in her voice. "Heero, please, tell me everything. What are 'the Patriots?'" 

Heero turned around and closed his eyes, pointing his head at the floor. 

"The truth behind this world." 

"Heero, what are you saying?" She asked in wonder. 

"I'm saying that everything you believe is a lie. They control it all-government, politics, the military, the economy, everything you can think of. Let's go back five years. OZ, the collapse of the Alliance, the White Fang, the Eve Wars, all of it was done according to their instruction. And us Gundam Pilots fell for it...just five more pawns in their grand show." 

"What...?" Relena asked in a tone of disbelief. 

"Even now, they still control it. The Terraformation Project-one of your trademark policies is being carried out because they want it to be carried out." 

"No..." Relena said. "That's..." 

"Think about it, Relena. Where did you get the idea from?" 

Relena fell silent...looking at the floor. 

"What's called government is a staged production by the Patriots to placate the public. No one knows who the Patriots really are...all I know is that everything comes down from a group of twelve men. They decide who is in the government, even the President. You all serve at their pleasure." 

Relena was speechless. 

"Here, let me give you another example. You're aware of Solid Snake's anti-Metal Gear activities right?" 

"Heero, who isn't aware?!" 

Heero stopped for a second. "Good point. But that's exactly it. Relena, I guarantee you that they did not want Snake to be turned into a folk hero. They didn't plan on making him one. Why do you think they released his pictures on that tanker? It was to make him look like a terrorist." 

"A smear campaign..." 

"Exactly. They tried to make him look like a mad suicide bomber. They wanted his anti-Metal Gear stuff halted." 

"Heero, are you saying that the Gundams were being used as their puppets too?" 

"Not at first. When we began attacking OZ they didn't know what the hell to do with us. They didn't want us to become another Snake. So they had Romefeller build their mobile dolls. All the chaos that ensued set a role for us. Even your becoming queen was done in accordance with their wishes. " 

Relena gasped. "The attack on the Sanc Kingdom..." 

"Done as per their plan." Heero said in his monotone. "Both attacks." 

"No, this can't be..." 

"True?" Heero asked. "At first I didn't believe it either, but like it or not, they run the show." 

"Heero...what does this all have to do with protecting me?" 

"You're on the Patriots' shortlist. You represent an enigma to them. They see you as dangerously influential with the public, and so they can't just get rid of you by dismissal or...other means. They might not get any of their wishes done, but at the same time, your principles of total pacifism frighten them, and they don't want you to promote such principles. They don't know what to do with you, Relena. And if you were to ever lose their favor completely, they'd kill you or worse. That's why I left. After I found out about them, and how they felt about you, I thought that I could better watch you from afar...keep on eye on their motives, but that's hard to do against shadows." 

Relena began to tear up again. He hadn't abandoned her. He only left for her safety…to look after her. She ran into his arms. 

"Heero, I appreciate that...but please don't ever leave me again." She said sobbing. 

"I don't plan on it." He replied. 

"But what's going on with Solidus? Does he want to challenge them?" 

"I don't know. That's what we need to find out. But regardless of who it is, we won't let anyone have a new Metal Gear. Whether it be Solidus, the Patriots, or anyone else." 

Relena nodded. Thoughts of happiness with Heero flooded her mind at the same time as the sadness and wonder about the Patriots. 

"Heero...what are we going to do about the Patriots? We can't just let them continue to rule the world like this!" 

"Relena, you're treading in dangerous waters now. Thoughts like that get people killed. First things first." 

Relena nodded with a somber look on her face. Heero embraced her, clearly seeing that she was in shock. 

Heero and Relena went down to get dinner together, long after everyone else left. Only Snake sat at the table, smoking a cigarette. 

"Where were you guys?" Snake asked. "Or is that a question you'd prefer not to answer?" He said matter-of-factly. 

Relena's eyes widened. Had he really just said that? 

"I was telling Relena about the Patriots." Heero responded in his monotone. 

Snake's eyes widened for a second, and then he nodded. 

"Snake, is it all true?!" Relena asked, hoping that Snake would prove Heero wrong. 

"I'm afraid so." Snake said as he put out his cigarette. "I'm going back to the control room; Otacon is going over those blueprints Duo and Wufei found, that along with the files we pulled from the base. Let's just say that they're quite the shocker." 

"Snake, what do you mean?" Heero asked as Snake walked away. 

"We'll talk about it tomorrow." He said without turning back. "I'm gonna leave you kids alone." 

Heero and Relena looked at each other with slight smiles. Maybe Metal Gear and Solidus and the Patriots would vanish while they were in each other's company.


	8. The Sardinia Incident

Chapter 7: The Sardinia Incident 

"So wait a second, Snake. That base was just being used to house RAY?" Trowa asked. 

"Well...yeah, but also no." Snake tried his best to explain. "We just missed Arsenal, it was there shortly before our arrival." 

"Right." Otacon seconded. "Arsenal was there to put a test to its ability to operate with the RAYs. You see, originally RAY was designed to be an anti-Metal Gear REX. As I'm sure you're all aware, Metal Gear REX was widely distributed in the wake of Shadow Moses. This was Ocelot's doing. He escaped with the blueprints and sold them on the black market. As a result, in 191-193 REX designs spread worldwide." 

"And RAY was designed to combat these variants." Snake finished. "However, according to the blueprints we found, we noticed a slight change in RAY's purpose." 

"That base was being used to develop the new RAY, not Arsenal. You see, Arsenal is a revolution in Metal Gear development." Otacon put the blueprints up on the control room's large monitor using the images they had copied into the computer system. "As you can see, this thing's more like a gigantic floating fortress than a Metal Gear. It is large enough to house a significant defense force; the most prominent of this is a horde of mass-produced RAYs." Otacon said, pointing at various different things. It was like he was a teacher and, besides Snake, the rest of the crew were students. "These RAYs are directly connected to Arsenal's powerful AI system, but the details of the AI remain obscure, even with these blueprints." 

"In lieu of this information", Lady Une stated authoritatively, "We will be doing an infiltration of a naval base on the west coast of Sardinia." She said pointing to the map that came up on the screen. "We have good reason to believe that a significant portion of Arsenal's AI system was developed there." 

"We'll be leaving shortly." Snake put forth. "It'll be us six. Quatre, you still need to recover from your injury..." 

Quatre gave a somber look. He didn't want to be a burden, but at the same time he didn't want to not help out. 

"Don't worry, Quatre." Lady Une said with a smile. "I have things for you to do here to help." She had read his mind. "Your mission objective is to get the specs for Arsenal's AI. We will need to understand this system if we are to combat it." 

"Gear up and get ready to leave." Snake ordered as he slowly walked out. 

"Heero, wait." Relena said as he exited his room. 

"What is it?" He asked in his usual monotone, barely turning his head back.

"Heero, please." She said, grabbing his hand. 

Slowly, Heero turned to face her. They were locked in a staring contest for a minute or so before Heero finally asked her what she wanted. 

"Heero I just wanted to say that...I-" 

Heero saw Snake exit his room from the corner of his eye, smoking a cigarette and going over the details of the mission one last time. 

"Relena, can it wait? I have to go, Snake is waiting." 

She looked down at the floor in sadness. "Sure. It can wait..." 

Heero nodded and let go of her hand. "Wait up Snake." He said as he walked away. 

Relena teared up again. That was the classic Heero she knew so well. Why had she expected any different? When a mission came up the Perfect Soldier was entirely focused, even more so, she had noticed, now that he was fighting side by side with Solid Snake. She went down to the kitchen, a tear hitting the floor. 

"All right guys, you know what to do." Otacon said from the control center as the crew arrived at the Sardinia base, just as it got dark. 

"We've got you Otacon. See you in a few." Snake answered. He checked the Codec for a few minutes, gathering up information concerning the layout of the base. 

The six of them got out of the helicopter and hid behind a nearby hill. They observed an elevator at the far end that would lead them down into the base. There were routine patrols and search lights, along with a few security cameras. 

"If we go as a group we're caught for sure." Zechs put forward. 

Snake nodded. "We have to go in one at a time. Once you're inside, find a place to hide and wait for the others to get there." 

"I'll go first." Trowa volunteered. 

Trowa slowly went forward, keeping as low as he could. Moving up the hill slightly to blend in with the darkness, he took out his scope and searched around, then compared the visual to any movement he could find on the Codec, looking for a pattern. After watching a nearby sentry make his patrol past him, Trowa headed quickly to a staircase. He looked up to find a security camera. Leaning against the wall until it turned away from him, he headed up the stairs. After waiting for the guard patrolling the staircase to pass, Trowa hit the button for the elevator, it came up within seconds. Silently, he headed down and inside, hiding himself behind a wall. 

"I'm in." Trowa confirmed. "It shouldn't be too difficult to sneak past the guards, but watch out for the camera by the staircase." 

"Is that room empty?" Snake asked. 

"Yeah. It's all clear." 

Wufei snuck in next, followed by Duo, then Zechs. Heero snuck in after that, and Snake was the last one in. The crew all gathered in the small room that led to the elevator. 

"Good, you're all in." Otacon said to them. "Now, open the door and get to the end of the hall on the other side. There'll be a staircase leading upstairs." 

"You mean we snuck down just to go back up?" Duo asked. 

"You know how some of these things are." Otacon answered back. 

"Right. Let's get a move on." Snake ordered. 

Quickly and quietly, the six intruders made their way down the hall, checking the Codec to see if any life forms were patrolling. There weren't. 

"There's tons of activity upstairs." Heero observed, checking his Codec. 

"Should we split up for a while?" Trowa more stated than asked. 

"I think so." Snake answered. "Heero, I want you to do whatever you can to make your way to this base's control center. Go in, establish a connection with Otacon, and rip out any information on Arsenal's AI you can. We'll create several diversions throughout this base to let you do that." 

"Snake, are you sure you wouldn't rather do it?" Heero asked in mild surprise. 

"You're much more capable with computers than me, kid." Snake answered. 

Heero nodded slowly. "Mission accepted." 

"Wufei, go up first and throw some flashbangs. Trowa, follow him up and help him combat those guards." 

The two of them nodded and proceeded to run up the stairs. 

"Duo, Zechs, get ready to move." 

They nodded with determined looks on their faces. Once they heard the flashbangs go off, Snake, Duo, and Zechs rushed up the stairs to assist Trowa and Wufei. Around thirty seconds later, the bases' alarm went off. 

"So much for secrecy." Heero muttered as he went up the stairs, peering around the corner of the doorway watching his comrades fight. 

"Heero." Otacon called him on the Codec. 

"What is it?" 

"There's some air vents nearby. Take them. You can't keep running around through that base now." 

"Understood." 

Snake smashed his M4's butt into an opponent's head, sending him down to the ground with a fountain of blood pouring out. Wufei took his opponent down with a leg sweep and pistol-whipped him in the head. Duo covered the doorway, firing three rounds from his .45 into an approaching guard's chest, the silencer making a squeak of death. 

Heero snuck into an adjoining room, watching as the guards fled to investigate what was going on. Once inside, he looked around for the air vent, finding it within a few seconds. Yanking the cover off, Heero crawled inside. 

"Otacon, do you have any idea where I'm crawling?" 

"I'll give you some directions along the way. Just keep going." 

"Hn." He responded as he crawled through the vents, checking his Codec. 

"We may need to split up a little more." Snake said. 

"The more diversions the better." Wufei agreed. "We'll keep splitting the guards up, keep them away from Heero." 

"Zechs, come with me." Snake ordered. "The three of you go do your own thing." 

And with that, they were all off. Duo, Wufei, and Trowa made their way through corridors, raising as much of a ruckus as they could. The three of them entered what looked to be an armory. They were met with a hail of gunfire that they just barely managed to dodge. The three of them looked at each other and nodded, proceeding to throw a grenade each. Trowa and Wufei than moved into flanking positions while Duo attacked from the front. Trying to kill as little of the guards as possible, the three former pilots began knocking the guards out in close-quarters combat. Trowa did an acrobatic jumping kick to down the last one. 

"So being in the circus does have an advantage on the battlefield." Duo remarked with a glint in his eye and a smile. 

Trowa gave a slight smile with a "hmph." 

"C'mon. We're wasting time." Wufei said matter-of-factly as he ran out of the room. Duo and Trowa quickly followed. 

Snake and Zechs walked down a shadowy hallway, keeping alert. The Codec showed the hallway to be clear, but that didn't mean something sudden couldn't happen. 

"Otacon, do you have any ideas?" Snake asked. 

"No, it's not like the two of you need to do much anyway. Just go looking for trouble." Otacon laughed. "After all this time you tried to sneak around I think it's a welcome change for once." 

"Maybe we should make our way to some of the quarters." Zechs suggested. 

"The alarm has died off. Maybe there will be normal patrols again." Snake finished his thought. "Fine, we can give it a shot. Let's go." 

Zechs smiled. Catching up with Snake, he talked. "Snake, it is an honor to be fighting with you. I'm glad that you will have other memories of me than that small, wailing boy that you saved in the Sanc Kingdom." 

A small smile made its way across Snake's lips. "C'mon kid. Let's be on our way." 

Zechs noticed the smile and followed with a one of his own. 

Heero grunted as silently as he could. 'Making your way through air vents is not fun.' Heero thought to himself. "Otacon, am I getting any closer?" Heero asked, his tone hinting at desperation. 

"You're almost there, just a little while longer. Make sure you turn to the right when the next fork presents itself." 

Heero grunted again. 'Turning in air vents sucks more than going straight.' 

Snake and Zechs made their way to the crew quarters, silently peering through opposite ends of the door. Giving each other a nod, they pulled out two flashbangs. They quickly threw them in and stormed in the room, knocking the soldiers out with fists and shots with their M9's. Of course, this caused the alarm to go off once more. 

"We should hide for a little while." Zechs said. 

Snake nodded and they were off. 

Heero heard the alarm sounding. It was more severe in the air vent. He had to stop and cover his ears every few seconds, making his progress that much more painstakingly slow. 'I have to give the others a good kick in the balls for doing this to me.' He thought as he continued to struggle through the vent. 

"There." Heero heard Otacon say over the Codec. "Heero, you're getting close. Drop down right over there. See the room ahead?" 

"Yeah." 

"Push the vent off and drop down in there." 

The call was terminated and Heero got to work. Seeing that there were a few guards patrolling around the vent, including one directly underneath it, Heero pulled out his M9. Using the laser sight of the gun, Heero fired a single dart into the back of the head of the guard below him. Heero next took aim at a guard that had come over to investigate why the first had fallen. He was soon hit in the temple and tranquilized. Seeing and hearing that the coast was clear, Heero pushed the vent cover down and jumped into the room. Hiding behind a bulge in the wall, Heero observed a guard approaching to investigate the noise. The guard ran when he saw two unconscious bodies. Heero held his gun to the guard's temple. 

"Freeze." He muttered in the trademark Heero voice. 

The guard raised his hands in a gasp. Quickly, Heero moved behind him and butted the back of his head with the M9. He fell to the ground, bleeding. 

"Heero." 

"What, Otacon?" 

"The next room over is the base's control center. One of the guards in this room has a keycard to get in. Find it. Do whatever it takes to open that door." 

The Codec went silent and Heero immediately got to work, searching the guards he had already knocked out. No such luck. Heero snuggled up to the opposite wall and peered out through the shadows. He saw a guard coming nearby. Moving back to the wall he had previously been up against, he did a slight tap. The nearest guard was startled. 

"Who's there?" He said in a voice just above a whisper. 

As soon as his head came into view it was hit by a dart and he fell to the ground. Heero checked him, no keycard. Looking at the Codec, Heero saw that the remaning guards were on the other side of the room. Carefully sneaking over to another hiding place, he observed their patterns, their movements. Realizing the best course of action, Heero jumped out, shot one guard in the neck, cocked the slide and shot another in the head. Several guards ran toward him in response, but Heero shot and re-cocked the M9 with the speed of lightning. The last guard received a kick to the stomach and several shots to the jaw. He was knocked out, but Heero put a dart in him for good measure. Searching them all, he finally found the elusive keycard. Heero moved toward the door and slid the keycard into the slot. The door opened and he stepped into the control room. He did not notice a camera overhead, watching him. 

"Ok Heero. Excellent work so far." Otacon said over the Codec. "Now, go to that computer and find out its IP adress." 

Heero went over to the computer and typed. Apparently, yet strangely, there were no guards in this room. 

"IP address 128.3.45.67 confirmed." Heero told Otacon. 

"Great. I'm in. Get out of there and reunite with the others. I suggest taking the air vents again." 

Damnit! Not the air vents! Heero got up slowly, pondering another miserable crawl. But the air vents were soon the least of his concerns. 

The running footsteps made the control room quake as if it was on a fault line. Before Heero knew it, at least 30 guards had surrounded him, assault rifles drawn. The voices were distant in his mind as he ran through the possible scenarios, but he knew what they were telling him and at this point, he had no choice to comply. 

Slowly, Heero dropped his weapons and put his hands in the air. He slowly walked out of the control room at the request of a rifle barrel pointed into his back. On the other side of the room was what appeared to be the bases' commanding officer. A pistol flashed in the air and landed with a thud on his temple. Then the world went black.


	9. Heero's Inferno

**A/N:** Warning: This chapter contains scenes of torture as well as some violent battle scenes.

In an almost complete reversal of that, Merry Christmas!

Chapter 8: Heero's Inferno 

"Snake. Everyone. Come in." 

"What is it, Lady Une?" Snake responded. "Do we have the files of Arsenal's AI?" 

"Otacon was able to work for a while, but had to terminate the connection for fear of being traced. Let's just hope that what we have is enough." 

"So what is this about then?" 

"Snake, we have not heard from Heero for a good twenty minutes. We fear he may have been captured." 

"What?!" Duo let out in a tone of disbelief. The great Heero Yuy, Perfect Soldier, caught? 

Snake grunted. "I suppose we'll have to find him, and fast, before he reveals anything about us. But I do think that kid can resist torture well." 

"And why is that, Snake?" Otacon asked over the Codec. 

"I can just see it in him. C'mon, let's get a move-on. We'll remain split. Start searching." 

Everyone agreed and began their search, remaining in the separate groups they had split into. 

Heero awoke to the feeling of ice-cold water being poured over his head. He saw that he had been stripped of his clothing. He was immediately greeted with a punch in the face. The attacker had been wearing brass knuckles. The room was lit only barely and he was bound to a metal chair. Heero knew in the back of his mind that none of this was legal, but legalities counted for nothing in war. That type of thinking was for Relena, not him. 

"Who are you and why did you come here?" 

Heero looked up. The man who had knocked him out was standing at ease, with his back turned. No doubt this was the bases' commandant. Heero said nothing. He was given a rifle butt to his bare right ribcage by one of the soldiers in the room in response to his not responding. Heero tried his best to keep the pain from escaping his mouth.

"I won't ask you this again." The commandant said as he walked over. He had short auburn hair and shockingly cold green eyes that would burn through a lesser individual. "Who are you and why did you come here?" 

Heero spat in his face. The commandant angrily withdrew his pistol and lined it in inbetween Heero's eyes. Heero knew that he wouldn't shoot, he needed information from him, but that couldn't stop the all too human reaction for Heero to close his eyes as the trigger was pulled. The gun clicked harmlessly. 

"You're lucky I don't keep this one loaded." The bases' commandant smirked as he lightly slapped Heero across the face. 

"Why? Is it because you're afraid to carry a gun? You hit like a girl, so I don't see anything surprising about that." Heero muttered with a painful grunt. 

The commandant slammed his fist into Heero's stomach as hard as he could. Heero's eyes constricted in pain, but he was determined not to shout. 

"A cheeky one are you? We'll just see how tough you are then. Corporal." 

"Yes sir?" One of the men in the room asked with a salute. 

"Get the cattle prod." 

Duo, Wufei, and Trowa wandered through the base, trying to get into places they hadn't before, following Otacon's instructions on their Codecs. Trowa walked slowly up a staircase, followed by Duo with Wufei covering the rear.

"Otacon, does this lead to where they're holding Heero?" Duo asked.

"I don't know. All I know is none of us have been in this area. Watch for guards."

"I'll keep that in mind."

At the top of the stairs, the three ex-Gundam pilots noticed that they were in a long hallway. After avoiding the cameras by keeping close to the wall, they came across another flight of stairs, albeit a much shorter flight this time. After reaching the next level, Otacon called them.

"Guys, you're at the very top of this base. I think this is some sort of surveillance center, there's also a control tower for aircraft."

"And is there any significance to this place?" Wufei responded with a question as the three of them entered the next room to their right.

"I suppose you ought to take a look around, but I doubt Heero is being held here."

Wufei just grunted as the call ended. Duo motioned Trowa and Wufei toward this window. The other two followed slowly.

"This place overlooks where we first snuck in. So we must be directly above where we started." Duo said to no one in particular, trying to make a mental map of the base to try and find where they'd take Heero.

"Well I think it would be a good idea to get away from the window, Maxwell." Wufei snorted. "Although seeing you cut down by sniper fire would be somewhat pleasant."

"Well gee." Duo said somewhat sarcastically. "You're a wonderful friend."

"Who said anything about being your friend." Wufei began walking with a slight smirk.

"Sheesh." Duo followed him.

Trowa said nothing and followed behind.

The door to the room opened and a guard walked through. Startled, he fired a few rounds causing the three men to duck. He quickly scurried out of the room, the three former Gundam pilots hearing a muffled "intruders spotted, requesting backup unit."

The alarm went off, the Codec showing "ALERT" in red.

Trowa went out of the room, knocked the guard down and threw him against the wall.

"We better hide." Trowa said casually.

The other two nodded and followed him down the hall. Scurrying about, they found a locker room. The three of them got into their lockers and shut their doors, hearts pounding as the assault team entered the room.

Heero groaned in pain as the cattle prod was pushed once again to the sensitive skin directly under his chin. He had given up trying to be stoic, his body was not agreeing with it. Still, he would not give in under torture, would not reveal his mission.

The bases' commandant pistol-whipped him again to the same part of his head that he had previously hit. Heero fell unconscious again, for a second. The ice-water routine was repeated for the second time, pouring some of it over his unclothed penis for good measure. The commandant punched him in the stomach as another rifle butt smashed into his ribcage.

"Who are you? Why did you come here?" The commandant asked calmly, as if nothing at all was happening.

Heero answered only with a grunt. With a slight glance and nod from the commandant, the cattle prod shocked and singed the skin it touched-the part over his ribcage that the latest rifle butt had just abused. Heero yelled out in pain. Blood trickled down from his temple, an after-affect of the last pistol-whip. To aggravate the wound further, a guard in the room punched Heero in the same spot with the brass knuckles, opening the gash up much more.

"Not so cheeky now is he?" The guard who had just punched Heero with the brass knuckles asked.

The commandant's only reply was a sly smirk.

"I think we've been here already..." Zechs trailed as he checked his Codec's Soliton radar.

"We have." Snake confirmed. "And Trowa, Duo, and Wufei had no luck on the upper floors."

"Luckily they managed to evade the guards." Zechs stated. "We need to find Heero before they kill him...for my sister's sake at the very least." He added, trying not to sound concerned.

"Wait." Snake answered. "There must be some sort of hidden basement around this base. We've scoured every area. "Otacon, do you see any structural irregularities anywhere, anything that might lead to a passage of some sort?"

"I'll check around. In the meantime, keep a low profile. I suggest staying right there and finding a place to hide for a while is the best option."

"Roger that. Hurry." The call ended. "Zechs, you know the drill."

Zechs nodded in affirmation.

Seeing that their radars cleared, and that the increased security had left the area, Trowa, Duo, and Wufei left their lockers cautiously. There was only one guard that appeared on the Soliton radar, the same one that had spotted them earlier.

"Tranquilize him." Trowa whispered to Duo, giving him the M9 that he carried. Duo nodded, and moved to the door, which slid open automatically. When Trowa and Wufei heard the sound of a body hitting the floor, they followed Duo outside. Duo looked back with a smile and nod and returned the M9 to Trowa. The three of them made their way down the stairs.

Snake peered around the corner and signaled for Zechs to halt. Sneaking up behind an enemy sentry, Snake put him in a rear naked choke and knocked him out, then motioned for Zechs to follow. Zechs suddenly had flashbacks going off in his mind...this was so similar to what had happened all those years ago during the invasion of the Sanc Kingdom-Snake choking enemies out and him following silently behind. Suddenly, the Codec rang, interrupting his train of thought.

"Snake, Zechs." Otacon signaled.

"Otacon, what is it?"

"You were right, Snake. There's a passageway that leads down to a lower level, and it can't be reached by elevator."

"Where is it?"

"It's around the bases' main control room, where Heero was captured, but you guys will have to be careful around there. I'm gonna call Duo, Trowa, and Wufei to get over there to support you."

"Understood." Snake replied as the Codec hung up.

Snake and Zechs made their way toward the control room. In 10 minutes, they were outside the wide doors that led toward it, hiding in the shadows that the walls made.

"Zechs, get out your PSG-T. We can't throw a flashbang. Any disturbance here, and they might kill Heero." Snake ordered over the Codec.

"From here? Is there a better place to snipe?"

"I don't think so. Just do it. I'll cover you with my M9. Ready?"

Zechs sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Snake peered around the corner as Zechs slowly snuck his way into a dark location further back in the room. Snake took a careful aim at the first soldier he saw and fired a dart into his head. He fell down after a startled yelp.

"Huh?" A startled nearby soldier looked down at his sleeping comrade, only to be hit with a dart from Zechs.

Snake hit another straying soldier with a dart, followed by Zechs sniping two more.

"What the hell is going on?" Another soldier yelled, getting ready to radio for backup.

"Zechs, rush them! Now!" Snake ordered over the Codec.

Snake and Zechs fired a last dart from their respective weapons, once again startling nearby sentries. Snake leapt out and started punching, kicking, and throwing his opponents with Zechs finishing them off. Snake grabbed an attacking soldier's arm, dragged him to the floor, and whipped him over the back of the head with the M9, causing him to go out cold. Zechs shot another far-off attacker with a dart in the head, and spun around, throwing his rifle at another. The slight distraction allowed Zechs to take down his opponent and put him in a guillotine choke. Snake knocked the last one out with two punches and a jumping-spinning kick to the head.

"There's a hidden passageway on the left side of this room. I don't know how it's activated, so try anything." Otacon said over the Codec.

Snake and Zechs immediately began looking around. Remembering Shadow Moses, Snake instinctively leaned himself against the wall and began tapping it, listening to the sound made by his fist. In a couple of minutes, a different, hollower sound was heard.

"Zechs, come here."

Zechs came over and looked at Snake with a questioning glance.

"Hear this?" Snake asked as he tapped against the wall rapidly.

"Yeah. It sounds hollow. That must be the secret passage Otacon was talking about. But how do we get inside?"

"Well...there's always C4, but then Heero's dead." Snake thought out loud.

After Zechs thought for a second that that wouldn't be so bad, he slowly nodded.

"Doesn't look like there's any keycard...or a code to input anywhere." Snake continued to think. "Which means..." Snake trailed. "Zechs, start pushing places on the wall."

"What?" He asked in a skeptical tone.

"Just do it!"

Zechs and Snake began to push spots on the wall, after a few minutes, Zechs pushed a spot that caused a small part of the wall to recede, revealing a shoddily lit stairway.

"You'd think this was some sort of ancient castle rather than a military base." Zechs said with a hint of amusement.

"Look who's talking, Prince of the Sanc Kindgom." Snake smirked.

"Fallen Prince." Zechs corrected as they made their way down the long stairway.

Heero tried his best to muffle the scream of the cattle prod on his skin. What started as a second or two had progressed into a 30-second hold of the prod onto his skin, starting with his shoulders, and as the torture progressed, going to more sensitive areas of his body, finally now settling on his naked groin. His veins coursed with flame from the Sodium thiopental-a truth serum.

"So, still not compliant are you?" The commandant asked with a hint of amusement.

Heero laughed. The Sodium thiopental had made him somewhat chattier. "Go fuck yourself."

"Is such a thing possible?" The commandant could not hide the smirk.

"I suppose if you have a big enough penis." Heero then burst into hysterical laughter.

The commandant laughed mockingly and then ordered the cattle prod to be jammed into Heero's scrotum. His eyes burst out in pain.

"Who are you? Why did you come here?"

"You want to know?" Heero asked, looking up into his eyes with a comedic tone. "To tell you that you'd never have a big enough penis to fuck yourself!" Heero laughed hysterically again.

"Four more CCs!" He ordered.

In a minute, Heero felt the injection flooding the veins in his arm, and then spreading through his body like wildfire. The wildfire was accompanied by another rifle butt, aggravating it even more, then the sensation of the cattle prod on his scrotum again.

"Relena..." He whispered, the first hint of distress other than physical pain he had given.

"Relena." The commandant said to himself, to understand better. "Relena...Darlian? Queen Relena?" He asked in a mocking tone.

"Look at this boys! We got ourselves another pathetic romantic in love with Miss Relena!" The sergeant in the room shouted in a mocking tone. "I really think you shouldn't have given him those four more CCs, sir."

"Why not? I mean c'mon." A private protested. "I mean who in this room hasn't whacked off at the thought of her at least once?"

The room burst into laughter, including a light chuckle from the commandant.

At this Heero growled. These bastards were insulting, degrading and mocking the person who had given him a will to live...his angel his...lov-somehow he still couldn't quite make out the word, even under the influence of the Sodium thiopental. But he knew he was getting angry. He snarled and attempted to escape from the chair, it was no use and he was met with yet another rifle butt to the ribcage amidst laughter.

Snake and Zechs continued to make their way down the long, narrow, and dimly lit corridor. There were a few sentries, and they easily concealed themselves in the darkness of the place. The sentries were quickly tranquilized or killed with silenced .45 pistols.

Eventually the two of them came across what the passage was hiding-the interrogation chambers.

"Heero's gotta be in one of these." Snake said over the Codec.

They didn't need to search; the loud scream followed by laughter gave the location away. Snake and Zechs aligned themselves on either end of the door.

"Ok, blast his knee cap." The commandant ordered.

Snake and Zechs both nodded toward the other. Readying his M4, Snake kicked the thin metal door down. He could see a soldier getting ready to shoot Heero from behind his knee cap-effectively crippling him for life. Less than a second later, his head burst into a fountain of blood and he collapsed-a well-aimed pistol shot from Zechs had done the job.

The commandant's eyes widened. "It's...you! Solid Sna-"

Snake burst into fire with his M4 on full auto, killing the rest of the soldiers in the room, including the commandant. The room pooled in blood-ironically none of it was Heero's.

"Damn!" Snake yelled as he ran toward Heero. Quickly freeing him from his chair, Snake took a first look at the extent of his injuries. His ribcage was badly bruised-a sickly purplish color. "Heero. Look up at me."

Heero looked. "Sn.."

Snake could see that Heero's eyes were glazed.

"Can you hear me?"

All Heero did was nod.

"Can you walk?"

"I...I...I...think so." He stammered.

"Stay there for a second." He said as he walked toward Zechs.

"What's up?" Zechs asked in a somber tone that surprised him.

"He's been beaten up pretty bad, and he's been shocked from that cattle prod. He's also had a dose of some sort of truth serum."

"Shit." Was all Zechs could say.

"I...I...didn't tell them anything. I swear!" Heero said in a sloppy tone as he stumbled toward them.

Snake managed a weak smile. "Otacon, Lady Une. We've found Heero. He has been tortured, repeat, he has been tortured. He needs medical attention."

"Snake, get out of there, now." Lady Une told him sternly.

"Of course. Duo, Trowa, Wufei, can you read?"

"Loud and clear. What's up?" Duo asked.

"Get down by the control room ASAP. We may need backup."

"Roger that, we're on our way." Trowa affirmed.

"Let's go. Heero, follow us at a distance."

All Heero did was nod weakly.

Snake and Zechs ran outside as the bases' alarm went off. They were greeted with a hail of gunfire down the corridor as the alarm went off and the word ALERT in red appeared on the Codec.

"Heero, stay back!" Snake ordered as he and Zechs took cover.

Zechs fired his .45 until the magazine was empty, killing three enemies down the hall. Snake then peered around the corner and fired a hail of M4 rounds down the hall, killing any enemy in their path.

"C'mon!" Snake yelled as he took off down the hall, followed by Zechs on his heels and Heero stumbling far behind them, feet pounding through the blood on the floor.

More bullets whizzed by and they took cover again. Snake peered around the corner as he unloaded an entire clip of his M4. Zechs threw a grenade. After it exploded, Zechs ran out, firing his pistol's clip, cutting down two more guards with four bullets landing in their respective chests. The two of them then took cover again, with Heero straying behind, still naked.

"One more burst." Snake said to Zechs, who nodded.

Snake went first and opened up with Zechs supporting him, firing over his shoulder. The enemies were cut down and screamed as the blood drained from their bodies. Snake and Zechs climbed up the stairs, but the passage way was shut.

"Zechs, look around, I'll keep watch." Snake ordered as he descended down the stairs, pushing Heero between himself and Zechs.

For a while, Zechs stared at Heero. He looked so pathetic. Zechs had never seen Heero so weak...so powerless before. It was almost hard to believe. His nemesis during the wars looked like a decrepit shell.

"Zechs, are you staring at Heero or finding the way out of here?" Snake asked with a little anger. "I thought you weren't gay." Snake taunted.

"Sorry." Zechs said with a scowl as he resumed pushing places on the wall.

Three more enemy soldiers appeared approaching the stairway, firing at Snake, who narrowly managed to dodge and then shot all three in the chest, one after the other, blood spraying from the bullet wounds and then puddling on the floor.

"Got it!" Zechs yelled as the door opened up, letting a warm light onto the stairway. Zechs ran out. Snake ran up the stairs, grabbed Heero, and led him out, closing the door behind him when he was in the room outside the control room.

Duo, Trowa, and Wufei greeted them there.

"Hey guys, what took ya?" Duo asked with a classic Duo Maxwell grin.

Snake looked around, seeing that the three former Gundam pilots had taken out the guards to the room. "Let's get out of here." He ordered as he slung Heero over his shoulder.

"Snake...I can walk..." He stammered.

"It's better this way." Snake replied.

They slowly snuck out of the base, avoiding any more confrontation. They got into the helicopter and then into the plane, Snake and Sally treating Heero as best they could on the long, arduous plane ride back to Maine.


	10. Rhythm Emotion

**A/N:** Sappy chapter. [. Nevertheless, it's important to the story. Hope everyone had a Happy New Year.

Chapter 9: Rhythm Emotion

Relena was startled by the crashing and banging that was coming from downstairs as she went into the kitchen to get a snack. Could they all have possibly come back from their mission without her knowing? More and more she was getting irritated-she was always being left out of the loop, the Patriots being the biggest example of this, but many other smaller instances presented themselves since she had come there. Sighing at knowing that she was too nice to yell at them about it, she went downstairs to play her little Relena-needs-to-catch-up-on-what's-going-on routine.

The noise was not coming from the control room, rather the bunker's small infirmary. Oh no, was someone hurt? Relena knocked and walked inside, noticing Otacon, Quatre, and Lady Une frantically preparing equipment. No one else was there. They hadn't come back yet.

"What's going on?" Relena asked.

Quatre's eyes sombered as he nodded to Otacon and Lady Une, walking over to Relena.

"Relena, it's Heero..." Quatre said softly as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh no! Quatre is he hurt is he..." Relena rambled frantically.

"No, he's alive but, he's been...tortured."

"Tortured?" Relena asked more to herself than Quatre in a whisper of fear.

"Snake and your brother got him out." Quatre reassured her. "They'll be back soon. Don't worry, he's Heero, he'll be ok."

Relena managed a small smile and waited nervously. Around 45 minutes later, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She quickly got up and turned around, seeing Snake carrying a half-conscious Heero over his shoulders, followed by Sally racing on his heels. Not acknowledging her at all, they put Heero on the examining table and prepared to treat him.

"Do the debriefing without us." Snake motioned to Lady Une and Otacon. "The others are waiting back in the living room."

They nodded and walked out.

"Relena, you have to leave." Snake all-but ordered.

"No, I'm staying!"

"Relena..." Heero stammered from the table as Sally went to hook him up to an IV.

"Heero I'm here!" Relena ran past a somewhat startled Snake to his bedside. "Oh god Heero, what did they do to you?" She asked in concern, looking over his badly injured body, not even thinking that he only had his boxers on.

"I told the commandant he had a small penis." A still very much high Heero laughed hysterically.

Relena blushed. She had never heard anything of that nature from him. "What...?"

Sally turned toward Snake with a get-Relena-out-of-here look. Snake nodded and put a strong hand on her shoulder, turning her around.

"Relena, I'm sorry, you have to go." Snake said in a determined, Snake-like tone.

"But why? You know, I resent being ordered around like a child. I get that enough from Milliardo. I won't be ordered around, not even by you."

Snake smirked. Very few people had ever stood up to him. He liked it. But now was not the time.

"I need to stay with him." Relena said with determination. At this, Snake grabbed her waist with such force that she felt she was being hit by a tidal wave. She had never felt stronger hands in her life, not even Heero's. Snake gently put her down outside the infirmary.

"Sorry about that, it's gotta be done."

"But...Snake."

"Heero's been shocked by a cattle prod, but that's only the least of it. He's been dosed up on a truth serum, Sodium thiopental, it causes people to become more chatty, that's why he said that crap about the small penis. He could have very well OD'd if they had given him anymore."

"Oh no..." Relena stammered.

"But that isn't all. He's been bruised very badly on the ribs; fortunately none of them are broken."

Relena's sigh of relief was quickly interrupted.

"But he may have severe internal bleeding."

'Internal bleeding!' The words struck her like a hammer. She slumped to the floor. "Oh God no...please God no..."

Snake sighed and hefted her up, looking directly into her eyes. They both had similar hues to them, although Snake's were a little greener, and much, much harder. "I promise you'll be the first to know after we're done treating him."

Relena looked up at him with grateful eyes and mouthed a 'thank you.' Snake nodded and she walked away. 'He's Heero, he'll be fine. He's Heero, he'll be fine.' Relena kept telling herself as she made her way upstairs.

"Ugh...damn." Heero stated groggily some hours later when he woke up, finally having the Sodium thiopental out of his system.

Snake chuckled and Sally smiled.

"Thanks for saving my ass, Snake. Although I'm gonna hate it, I'll have to thank Zechs too."

Snake smirked and nodded.

"So docs, what's the diagnosis?" Heero asked as if he wasn't concerned.

"Nothing serious, we thought you may have had internal bleeding, but we were mistaken. Just get plenty of rest and make sure you eat and drink lots of water." Sally said as she unhooked all the machines from Heero.

"Diagnosis: you are one tough son of a bitch, Heero Yuy." Snake smiled warmly.

Heero smirked as he slowly got up and began to walk-albeit in pain. At least the Sodium thiopental had covered up the intense pain he felt all over his body.

"Woah there. I'll give you a hand, c'mon kid." Snake said as he leaned Heero against his shoulder.

Snake and Heero slowly made their way upstairs, their comrades (those who were still up) were smiling at Heero, and even Milliardo gave him a nod of respect, which Heero slowly returned.

"So, do we have what we need?" Heero groaned as he and Snake began walking up the stairs.

"Yeah. The specs to Arsenal's AI are in. Unfortunately this is no small shit and it could take weeks or even a month to decrypt."

"What?" Was all Heero managed to mutter.

"This was designed directly by the Patriots, what did you expect?" Snake asked matter-of-factly.

"Of course." Heero nodded. "Oh shit..." He muttered as he and Snake reached the top of the staircase. He stumbled away from Snake.

"What?" Snake asked.

"Relena came in there; did I say anything to her?"

"You said you told the commandant he had a small penis." Snake retorted.

"What...aw shit." Heero said, banging his head against the wall.

"Hey relax, she knows you were high." Snake said. "And best not to go doing that with your head, not now."

"Still. Damnit!"

Snake smirked and helped him walk back to his room. "Get some rest." He said, gently motioning for Heero to go toward his bed.

Getting in and pulling the covers over himself, he looked back at Snake, who smiled.

"Kid, you are one tough son of a bitch." He said again as he got out. Walking down the hallway, he intended to keep his word.

Relena sat upright, unable to fall asleep even though it was 2:30 and she had tried since 11. She sat in her room, almost tearing her covers in stress. Heero couldn't leave her...she was snapped out of her trance by three knocks on her door.

"Milliardo! I told you I don't want to talk and I'm not hungry! Ugh!" She snapped as she put a pillow over her head to muffle the sound.

"Relena, you have 5 seconds to open this door before I break it down."

Relena's eyes snapped open as she rushed to open her door. On the other side, a somewhat disgruntled Snake had his eyes closed and his arms folded across his chest.

"I uhh...I'm sorry Snake." She murmured.

Snake slowly opened his eyes and went inside as Relena closed the door behind him.

"So...?" Relena trailed as she sat down on her bed.

"Good news. No internal bleeding. He'll be absolutely fine; all he needs is food, water, and rest."

Relena breathed a huge sigh of relief and her eyes seemed to brighten up the room upon hearing the words.

"You really love him, don't you?"

"You have a wonderful talent for bluntly stating the obvious." Relena sighed and fell onto her pillow, hair fanning out in a halo and nightgown folding gently around her body.

"Want to talk about it?" Snake asked sitting down. "You look like you could use someone to talk to."

Relena slowly sat up beside him. "I don't think you'd understand." She sighed as she closed her eyes and titled her head toward the ground.

"Try me." He gently nudged her shoulder to coax her to look at him. "I'm more than just an extremely skilled killer with a cause, you know."

"Oh no, I don't think of you like that, Snake."

"Don't you? Too many people see only the legend, they never see me as a man, even everyone here fell victim to it at first and in many ways, they still do, except Otacon, of course."

"I completely get you." She sighed. "You know, a couple of months ago I was watching some stupid gossip show. In honor of the turn of the century, they were doing something about the '100 biggest newsmakers of the past hundred years.' I turned up at number two."

"And who was number one?" Snake asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Snake's eyes widened a bit, indicating it was not.

"You."

"Rhm." Snake grunted in annoyance.

"I know, I completely agree."

"I suppose it's all just a byproduct of the paths we've chosen."

"Did I really choose my path?" She asked, looking up at him in wonder. "Or did the Patriots choose it for me?" Her eyes saddened. "Heero told me that my being 'Queen of the World' was done because they wanted it to be, as was the formation of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, my current position...the list goes on."

"Yes...all of that was done according to their plans. But, Relena, your thoughts, your mind, your beliefs are yours. What you do with them is entirely your choice, and quite frankly the Patriots are pissing in their pants over it. Why do you think they had Romefeller attack the Sanc Kingdom? They needed you in a position that they could control you from, that's why. They saw you might be useful."

Relena sighed again. "Heero left to protect me from them."

"I figured that out when he was putting his fingers through your hair." Snake retorted.

Relena blushed and looked at the floor. "You read people quite well don't you?"

"It keeps me alive." He replied matter-of-factly. "Now, why not tell me about you and Heero? It'll help ease the pain I see in your eyes. From the bits and pieces I've heard, it's quite...unusual, to say the least."

Relena laughed. "More than you can imagine."

"I can imagine quite a lot."

Relena began the story with their encounter on the beach. She then went on to their time at St. Gabriel's.

"You mean he actually threatened to kill you?" Snake asked, chuckling.

"Yes...he thought I was getting in his way. But when we danced, and he held me in his arms...I just felt such a feeling of warmth and security...especially after what happened to father..."

"Go on." Snake gently urged.

Relena continued, explaining how she had stopped his battle with her brother in Antarctica, his visit to the Sanc Kingdom, Libra, Mariemaia, everything up to the present point.

"That was quite a story. I'm not sure I believe it." Snake slightly smiled.

"I'm not sure I believe it myself." She laughed. "At first the whole thing with Heero was just the naive little crush of a schoolgirl, but by the end of the war on Libra...I realized I was hopelessly head over heels in love with him."

"In all the time he's been away from you, have you ever tried getting over him?"

"I couldn't. It just made everything worse. Ever since I turned 18 I've been drowned by suitors, but I feel no connection to any of them. Heero was the first honest man I've ever met, before him my life was all formality and politeness. He was the one who made me find my soul. All these other men who are jumping hurdles to date me remind me of the same life before I knew Heero."

"I see, and I understand." Snake nodded, closing his eyes. "You know..." He trailed. "No one really knows this story, well except Otacon, and I don't know why I'm about to tell you this but after that story I feel I must."

"Snake...?"

"There was this girl; I met her during Shadow Moses..."

"When you were actually fighting there?!" Relena asked in shocked disbelief.

"Yeah... Her name was Meryl Silverburgh, the niece of my old CO, Colonel Campbell."

"Wait! Colonel Roy Campbell...wasn't he your CO when you were in Alliance custody?"

"Yes...but he defected, and we became close friends."

"Yes, I know of that...oh my God I'm sorry Snake! I keep interrupting you..."

Snake laughed. "It's quite all right, my life is an endless web of questions, there's no escaping it."

Relena smiled lightly at him.

"I rescued her from imprisonment when she refused to join Liquid's rebellion. Eventually she and I escaped Shadow Moses, not before I was subjected to torture by Ocelot."

"Ocelot...tortured you? What did he do?"

"Let's just say that it makes what happened to Heero look like child's play."

Relena sighed. This man had been in her office, kissed her hand...even danced with her more than once since she met him. She could always tell he was bad news, right from the start.

"We escaped...and she lived with me for a while. I thought that my destiny was to live alone; I didn't think I would ever have the privilege to love anyone. She...well...she showed me different. She brought up feelings that I knew were somewhere, but didn't think they'd ever come out."

"That's great..." Relena smiled at him. "What happened to her?"

"She was living with me. But...as you know, I'm Solid Snake, and I've accumulated many enemies over the years. Some of Big Boss's old comrades came looking for me, wanting revenge for me having killed him. They attacked us, I managed to fight them off, but not before they got Meryl." One tear fell from Snake's eyes.

"Oh Snake..."

"Ironic isn't it?" He said, standing up. "The son of Big Boss, killing his own 'father,' though I did not know it at the time. In revenge, they took the one person who could bring light to the endless violent life that Big Boss' own son was destined to live."

"Snake, I...I'm so sorry. I'm honored that you would tell me this..."

Snake smiled. "It just shows how precious life is, and how easy and how wrong it is to take it, for whatever reason. The fact that I've taken so many and will probably have to take more is a fact that weighs heavily on me. Live and love. You and Heero will work out."

"Wh...you sound so sure."

"I am sure. What you've shared can't be held by anyone else- it is a bond that no one else in the universe can rival, that's why you feel no connection with any other man that wants to be involved with you."

"Like you and Meryl in Shadow Moses..."

"Exactly."

"Oh Snake, I hope so. I love Heero so much...sometimes I think he loves me back, but most of the time I think he just sees me as his charge...an obligation. I think he just sees the symbol of Relena Peacecraft and not a woman."

Snake laughed lightly. "Don't worry, he loves you."

"And how are you so sure? Did he actually say it to you?"

"Well...no."

Relena sighed.

"But, as you already said, I'm quite good at reading people. I could see it on his face as soon as we heard of Solidus' assassination plan. That and the constant pissing contests he had with your brother that quite frankly drove me insane, and besides he's willing to fight the Patriots for you. People don't fight the Patriots for just any reason! I fight them for ideas...he fights them for _you_."

Relena's heart fluttered out of her chest in hope.

"Wow, it is getting very late, and I haven't had any sleep for over 24 hours, not to mention I was just out on a mission." He said as he glanced at the 3:54 time on Relena's clock. "I'll see you in the morning Relena."

"Snake...do you have any regrets not fighting in the Eve Wars?" She asked as he walked out.

"Just one: not fighting for you."

"W...what?"

"You heard me. You're the one who can end the cycle of violence, whether you were set up by the Patriots or not. People like me merely prepare the way for people like you. I do regret not fighting for you, princess." He smirked.

Relena smiled. "Snake...thank you so much. You've taken a weight off of my shoulders that I've been carrying for so long..."

Snake nodded.

"Oh and Snake?"

He turned his head back.

"Is it true that you snuck around in a cardboad box when you were in Solidus' mansion, trying to get me out?"

"What?" He asked in a tone of disbelief.

"Well...Duo said you were hiding in one and sneaking around in it."

"I don't know anything about that." He said, somewhat annoyed.

"I thought he was joking." Relena smiled. "I mean, who would be dumb enough to sneak around in a cardboard box? It's completely idiotic!" She laughed.

"Oh...um...yeah..." Snake said as he walked out and closed the door.

"You told Relena about my box?!" Snake asked angrily at Duo late the next night, he hadn't seen him since he had been working with Otacon all through the previous day.

"Uhhh...yeah, c'mon it was just a joke, you can let me down." Duo motioned to the floor, as Snake was currently pinning Duo's shoulders to the wall as he was suspended in the air.

"Yeah, a joke to her!" Snake growled. "I try to keep my tactics a secret, you know, and if you keep blabbering, who knows if a real enemy will find out?" Snake growled again, this time through clenched teeth.

"Snake I'm...sorry, please don't strangle me!" Duo begged as his face began to turn red.

"About time someone put some sense into that annoying chatterbox." A familiar monotone sounded out.

Snake finally let Duo down and smirked. "From what I hear he's been haunting you for years."

Heero merely nodded with a small smirk.

"How was your rest, Heero?" Duo asked while still breathing heavily.

Heero slightly groaned. "Aside from the pain in my ribs and stomach when I woke up, and the occasional throbbing of my head, all right. So, Snake, how's it going working on figuring out Arsenal's AI?"

"Not well. This is going to take a long time...and it's going even slower without you being around to help."

"I can help." Heero immediately replied and began to walk toward the control room.

"Woah there, kid." Snake immediately stopped him.

"Chill, Heero." Duo tried to reason with him. "You're in no condition to be working for all those hours."

Heero eyed Duo menacingly.

"C'mon Heero, you don't need to look at me like that." Duo said in a huff.

"As much as I hate to say it now, he's right." Snake affirmed. "You just keep off of working for a while. Duo, tell Otacon that I'm taking the rest of the night off."

Duo nodded and began to walk back to the control room.

"Oh and Duo?"

"What is it, Snake?"

"Tell anyone about my secret box trick again and I will personally cut off that ridiculous looking braid of yours."

Duo froze. This wasn't a Heero Yuy half-threat that never came to fruition. This was a Solid Snake never-say-anything-you-don't-mean ultimatum.

"I wouldn't talk." Duo finally answered. "Mr. mullet." He then made a break for the control room, to the amusement of Snake.

Snake went into the kitchen followed by Heero trailing behind him. They saw Milliardo sitting at the table alone, drinking a beer. He nodded a greeting to Snake, who nodded back and stared at Heero with respect, yet coldness. Snake joined him at the table after getting a beer of his own and Heero just sat.

"Zechs..." Heero finally managed to squeak out. "Thanks for...getting me out."

Milliardo nodded in recognition.

Just then, Otacon came up to the table.

"I'm sorry Snake, but we really do need you down here, I promise this will be over in five minutes and then you really can have the night off."

Snake grunted and made way to follow Otacon down to the control room, but he turned back.

"Don't kill each other." He ordered and then went downstairs, causing both Heero and Milliardo to smile.

"Yuy, as much as I hate to say this, I feel an apology is in order of me."

Heero's eyes widened in response to those words.

Milliardo smirked at the surprise he showed. "I thought you had abandoned my sister. Now I know that you only left to protect her from the Patriots, although I do think you should at least have spoken with her from time to time, your motives at least were pure. I have always respected you Yuy, as an enemy, but I do now wish to bury the hatchet once and for all. I am not saying I want you to be my friend, we probably never will be, but we do have a mutual cause now, and we both do care for Relena. We may as well get along for her sake."

Heero was stunned into silence for a bit and then managed to choke out his acceptance. "Did Snake tell you about my leaving?"

Milliardo's eyebrows arched. "No, Relena did. You told Snake?" He asked in surprise.

"Not exactly...he figured it out. Don't ask how."

Milliardo managed a chuckle. "He's everything the legends say he is, but more than that, he's honestly the most intelligent man I've ever met."

"How did you know he was still alive?"

"After the Sanc Kingdom collapsed I found out from a former Oz soldier from an attack force that Romefeller had sent to eliminate him. This guy was the only survivor from that force. Apparently Dermail knew he was still alive and was terrified that Snake would join the war."

"Not surprising, he must have been working directly under the Patriots."

Milliardo nodded. "I was going to join up with Snake and see if he would fight Romefeller freelance with me, but then the White Fang came along and I made the worse choice. It doesn't really matter now; the Patriots were playing everyone for fools." He scowled.

Heero nodded. "The question is why..."

Snake came back to the room and sat down, grabbing his beer.

"I suppose you're ok with each other now."

"We went through the misunderstanding over Relena."

"Hn."

Snake smirked. A few minutes passed in silence. Noin then came up from the control room and whisked Milliardo away to their room.

"So you kissed and made up?" Snake chuckled as he made his way to the fridge to get a second beer, taking one for Heero as well.

"Made up I suppose. Kiss? Never." Heero smirked.

Snake laughed. "Yeah, there's only one person you would _ever_ want to kiss." He smirked as he handed Heero the beer.

"Hn." He took a sip.

"Feel like talking about her?" Snake asked quietly.

"No."

"You've gotta stop doing this kid..."

"Doing what?"

"Denying your feelings for her. You're hurting yourself and you're really hurting her."

Heero looked at Snake in shock and worry. Snake was delving deep into a part of his psyche that he had no control over, and he looked prepared to rip it out. He gulped.

"She told me everything."

Heero's eyes widened in shock. Finally he stammered out. "Well...I uh...she could have picked a worse person to tell it all to."

Snake laughed. "Why do you continue to skirt around the issue kid? You obviously love her."

Heero hesitated then spoke. "I haven't had any sign of her returning my feelings..." Heero suddenly felt it- this was big. He had just admitted to Snake and himself that he loved Relena.

"I don't believe that." Snake said angrily. "And I know you don't believe that either. You know, at times, you really are a weak, simple-minded stubborn fool."

"I just...I'm a soldier, a killer. She's a pacifist princess."

"Ah." Snake said, arching his eyebrows. "So you think you don't deserve her."

"It would never work. I'm not supposed to be with her. The world would never accept it, she'd be endangering herself. I'd be endangering her. We're too different, we come from different walks of life, and we weren't supposed to mingle. This is the way it has to be..."

"That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard." Snake responded with his eyes closed.

Heero's eyes opened up in shock and he gasped. "But Snake...she's a princess, a diplomat, former Queen of the World. I'm just a pawn to be used and dispensed with."

"Those are all just empty words when you come to think of it."

Heero looked down at his now-empty beer bottle in silence.

"And really, she's a pawn too. Yeah, she might have been a queen, but a queen is still just a playing piece. You've both been used by the Patriots. Besides, your shared experiences together count for a hell of a lot more than any position or title ever could."

"...You're right."

"I am right." Snake said matter-of-factly. "The two of you need each other. I mean, you have been a complete asshole to her." 

Heero looked up at Snake in shock-again. 

"But she doesn't seem to mind." He continued. "Most people would call that weakness, but in reality, it takes monumental strength for her to put up with all the shit you've put her through and still insist on going forward." 

"She's the strongest person I've ever known..." 

Snake nodded. "Tell me what you'd think if she was with some other guy?" 

Heero's eyes narrowed. "I'd rip the son of a bitch's throat out for starters, and then I would castrate him with a bronze dagger."

Snake laughed. "Well, there you go. Heero, you don't need to be afraid. She's the best thing that's ever happened to you. Don't lose her!"

Heero suddenly felt a wave of inspiration crash over him. He began to feel more powerful than he had ever felt in his life. Snake's words always made sense, and these words broke all of the walls he'd built around his view of Relena down. Deep down, he had wanted to reveal his feelings to Relena ever since he knew Snake would be bringing her back here, and the words of his idol gave him the newfound strength he needed.

"You really should go and see her-now."

"But Snake, it's 2:30. I don't want to wake her up. She really does need to get more sleep."

Snake laughed out loud. "I really don't think she'd mind, kid. Wake her up! If she gets mad and she won't, but if she does, blame me." He winked.

For one of the few times in his life, Heero actually laughed out loud. He got up. Feeling elated, he rushed quickly toward the staircase.

"You know Snake, I never knew you had the capacity to play matchmaker." Otacon teased from behind as he brought a beer to the table and sat beside his longtime friend.

"About damn time they start to be honest with each other." Sally smiled and joined the two, handing Snake another beer while opening one for herself. "I was beginning to think it'd never happen."

"A legend indeed!" Lady Une laughed and sat down at the table. "If anyone would have finally been able to get them together, it's no surprise to me that it was you."

Snake's eyes lightened. "So, did I miss anything important with the AI?" Snake asked, getting back to business.

Heero gently knocked on Relena's door.

"Who is it?" Her gentle voice asked.

"Me." Heero mentally smacked himself. He had just sounded like he issued a demand to her to open up.

Relena gently opened the door and peered through the slit before opening it fully. "Heero...uh...I...well this is a surprise."

"Hn." He made his way into her room as she shut the door. Suddenly, a voice sprang in his head that sounded a lot like Snake. 'Damnit kid, you're just being your old detached self, you know what you have to do, do it!' "That nightgown looks really nice on you." He motioned to the pink silk gown hugging her every curve.

Relena blushed and looked down at the floor. "Thank...you." She murmured questioningly. "Heero, are you feeling all right? You're still not high on that truth drug are you?" She giggled.

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

Relena went and lay on her bed, covering herself. "This is so unlike you. Coming here out of the blue and then complimenting me."

"I uh...I had a long talk with...Snake." He stammered as he pulled a chair beside her bed.

"Oh?" Relena closed her eyes and tried to look disinterested, but her heartbeat sped up upon hearing the legendary soldier's name. "Well, if it's about Metal Gears or combat or something, I really would have preferred if you hadn't woken me up." 

"What?" Heero asked in disbelief. 

"Well, it just seems that that's what the two of you would talk about." Relena looked at him for a second and then looked away.

"We talked about you." Heero responded in his monotone. 

Now Relena's heart threatened to bust a hole in her chest. "Oh?" Great, just great. She was a renowned diplomat but could only say 'oh' when talking seriously to the man she loved. 

"He told me the truth." 

"He does that well." Relena answered, closing her eyes.

"Relena, look at me." 

Relena slowly opened her eyes and looked at Heero. "Heero..." 

"Snake told me the truth." He cut her off. "He said that I'm a weak simple-minded stubborn fool." 

Relena's eyes threatened to pop out of her head. "Heero, you're not." 

"No, Relena. I am. He also told me that I've been a complete asshole to you, which I have been, and I hope you can forgive me for that. He also said...that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me..." 

Her eyes widened in shock. "Heero..." 

"Let me finish." He cut her off. "Relena, I've never been good with my emotions...but tonight, I finally admitted it to myself. It took some pulling from Snake, but now that it's out I have to confront it. I _want_ to confront it." 

"Heero?" 

"I love you, Relena." 

Relena gasped as Heero got out of his chair and turned away from her. 

"I always have. Ever since that night we danced. Do you know how I felt when you told me you were on my side? No one was ever on my side. It took a while...but you managed to salvage my humanity." 

"Heero!" Relena ran in front of him. Tears were flowing from her eyes. "Heero, I love you too!" She put a hand on his still badly bruised cheek, causing him to wince in pain. But he did not mind, not at all. 

"Relena..." He trailed as she wrapped her arms to embrace him, he responded in kind. "Relena, I know I've hurt you. I promise I'll never hurt you again. If you'll let me, I want to try my best at making you happy." 

"Heero, I would love that." 

Heero tilted his head downward and kissed her. At first it was gentle, but after a while Relena opened her mouth and Heero obliged her. 

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this." Relena beamed as she gasped for air when it was over. 

"Oh but I do." Heero lightly smiled. "4 years, 10 months, soon to be 11 months." 

Relena laughed. "Just like you isn't it? Always analyzing?" 

"Hn." 

She giggled. "Heero, I love you." She rested her head in his neck. 

"I've always loved you, Relena." Heero rested his chin on her hair.

"I was going to tell I loved you before you left for Sardinia." She said sweetly. "But then you were like 'Relena, Snake is waiting.'" She did her best Heero impression, causing him to laugh out loud for the second time that night.

"Ow!" Heero sounded out when Relena put her hand on his stomach.

"Heero, you're still hurt. You really should rest now."

"Yeah…" He slowly unwound his arms from her and proceeded toward the door.

"Heero."

He looked back.

"Why not stay here with me?" She asked with a hint of a plea.

"Uh?"

"Stay with me, sleep with me."

"What?! On our first night together? You sure you're ready?"

Relena's face looked like it would explode. "No I mean…"

Heero laughed. "I was just teasing you. If you'll let me, I'll stay. But what if your brother cuts my throat in my sleep when he finds out?"

Relena laughed hysterically as she got into her bed. "He won't." She said, putting her head on her pillow, getting comfortable. "Not with Snake here." She beamed another smile.

"Oh, and, I think I buried the hatchet with your brother."

"What?!" She asked as Heero got into bed beside her.

"Yeah…he apologized to me. Said you told him why I left and he understood my intentions."

"Wow…" She sighed in content.

They both quickly fell asleep, Heero nuzzled against her backside with his arms wrapped around Relena's stomach, holding hands. An overwhelming feeling of bliss filled both their bodies.


	11. Ocelot's Mission

**A/N:** Warning, this chapter contains scenes of sexuality and a short scene of graphic violence.

Chapter 10: Ocelot's Mission 

Under Relena's watchful eye, Heero quickly recovered from his injuries. It was now the 20th of March, and yet Arsenal's AI was still always elusive. There was still a lot to crack. 

"It's probably for the best anyway." Relena observed. 

"Hn?" Heero asked in Heero fashion without looking at her, typing away. 

"That you haven't been able to figure out Arsenal's AI, and not knowing where it is. It's caused you guys to lay low for a while. Which is good, because at the moment, you guys are the most wanted terrorists in the Earth-Sphere." 

"Well, that's nothing new." Snake replied from his own seat. 

"Miss Relena, it's not that I don't love you or anything, but I can't help but think that you're distracting Heero over there." 

Technically Snake was the leader of this "organization," with Lady Une being next in line, but when it came to matters such as this, there was no doubt that Otacon took charge, and he had a mind for efficiency. 

Heero glanced at Relena again, the casual t-shirt she wore made her chest bulge, seemingly inviting Heero over, while the mini-skirt she had on showed quite a bit of thigh. Heero suddenly began to feel a bulge in his jeans. 

Very distracting indeed. 

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see him for a second." Relena blushed. 

"You've been in here for over an hour." Otacon smiled lightly at her. 

Relena was shocked at how quickly the time passed. Heero smirked and got up kissing, her lightly. 

"My shift will be done in a couple of hours. I'll see you then." He smiled as she left. 

"Thank you, Snake." Snake stated jokingly from across the room. "Thank you for making me realize I was an idiot for not getting me some of that." 

Heero laughed loudly. "Haven't we both thanked you enough times already?" 

Snake smirked. "I just like rubbing it in." 

Heero smiled as he got back into his char. 

"So Heero, will there be wedding bells anytime soon?" A smiling Noin asked him. 

"What?!" 

Otacon sighed, everyone was distracted now.

"I'd love you to be my brother-in-law, Heero." 

"Huh?" Heero let out in wonder. 

"Milliardo and I decided that we're to be married once this whole mess is over with." She smiled. 

"Congratulations Miss Noin!" Quatre practically screamed at her from his seat, which was right next to her. 

After recovering from Quatre's excitement, she thanked Otacon and Sally, who offered their congratulations while nodding at Heero and Snake's nods to express theirs. 

"I'm sure Milliardo is telling the others as we speak." She said happily. 

"No engagement ring?" Snake asked with amusement. 

"Once we're all out of here." She sighed. 

"Well, we'll probably be out of here a lot faster if you all did your work." Otacon gently hinted his annoyance. 

"I keep finding these two letters." Heero announced a few minutes later once the work ethic had settled back in. 

"What two letters?" Otacon asked, coming over. 

"E.E." Heero answered. 

Otacon gasped and suddenly stopped talking. His hands began to shake. 

"Is there something about those letters that stands out?" Heero asked. 

"Emma...Emmerich?" Snake asked, coming over to see for himself. 

"It must be..." Otacon trailed. "E.E. She must be the designer of this AI-this "GW" and Arsenal! But why? Why would E.E. get into weapons development! After what I did with REX?!" 

"Otacon, try to calm down." Snake said, trying to get through to him. 

"Wait a minute, who is this "E.E.?" Heero asked sternly.

Quatre, Noin, and Sally eyed him in wonder. 

Otacon sighed. "Snake...I think we should have a briefing about this..." 

Snake nodded. 

"Good eye, Heero." Otacon said as he went upstairs. 

"So you see, E.E. stands for Emma Emmerich, my estranged step-sister. I don't know why she's doing this..." Otacon explained at the briefing. 

"So what if she's a relation of yours?" Wufei snorted. "The fact is that she is developing a Metal Gear illegally, and this Arsenal thing needs to be taken care of. Therefore we must consider her our enemy." 

"We will not be harming E.E." Otacon said in his best authoritative tone. 

"The biggest question is where the hell is this thing?" Milliardo asked in anger. "Let's just get rid of this thing and get out of here!" 

"I understand your eagerness for your wedding, but we best keep our focus." Snake slightly glared. "But he is right. We need to find out where it's being developed. There has to be some trace of it somewhere in this "GW" thing." 

The group agreed. 

"I have an announcement to make myself." Relena declared, unclasping her hand from Heero's and walking to the center of the room. "I intend to go back to work." 

The entirety of the room gasped. 

"Relena!" Heero walked toward her. "Have you lost your mind?!" He asked angrily.

Relena's eyes narrowed. "Heero, you all have become the most wanted terrorists in the entire Earth-Sphere. I need to go and clear things up. I have to reveal to the world that Solidus is developing a new Metal Gear. There's also the question of why I've been gone so long. There are just too many things I need to address." 

"You aren't going anywhere!" Snake glared at her. 

Relena glared back. "Snake, several members of the legislature and diplomats are blaming the colonies for attacking Earth military bases, saying that the colonies feel that the ESUN is turning into the Alliance. If I do not make my presence felt, tensions will escalate." 

"Don't make me have to tranquilize you again". Snake grunted. 

Relena was not fazed by the threat. "I don't think a full-fledged war is what you really want. Aren't you trying to stop Solidus from doing just that?" 

Snake closed his eyes and did not respond. 

"Miss Relena is right." Sally spoke up. 

"No she isn't. It's too dangerous for you to go back to work!" Milliardo seethed. 

"I agree!" Heero shouted. 

"I'm glad to see the two of you actually agree about something for once!" She laughed, while they scowled. 

"...She's right." Snake admitted to the shock of some. 

"Look, I only plan to go to the office for a few hours and have a press conference, and then I'll come right back here." 

Snake nodded. "But you're gonna need someone to go with you. I suggest Milliardo, the story was that you were staying with him anyway, and he's more than capable of watching your back." 

Heero scowled for a bit but then realized that Snake made the important connections and he did not raise the issue. Relena agreed that the next day would be most appropriate to leave, as it was already 3 P.M. Sally would drive the two of them to the nearest airport for their already-booked flight. Once this was settled on, Otacon cautiously arranged for the second shift to begin working on the AI. 

"Why are you such a stubborn woman?" Heero asked Relena that night as they were about to enter their now-shared bedroom. 

"Because I know it's right." She laughed as she closed the door behind them. 

"But why do you constantly put yourself in danger?" He asked trailing kisses along her neck and jaw line. 

"Why are you such a stubborn man who constantly puts _himself_ in danger?" She mimicked huskily. 

"Because...because I have to." He stopped, looking into her eyes. 

"Well I have to too." She beamed. "If you didn't have to you wouldn't be the man I love, and if I didn't have to I don't think I'd be the woman you love. Now, why did you stop?" She teased. 

"Why are you always right?" Heero asked as he kissed her and put a hand on her breast, guiding her to lie on the bed with him on top of her. "Relena, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..." He looked into her eyes, his face barely an inch above hers. 

"Heero..." She smiled at his concern. Sometimes it was astonishing how much one month could change a person if the right situation presented itself. "I'll be fine, I promise. Milliardo will be with me, plus there will be a ton of Preventers." 

"What if they find out what he's been doing lately?" Heero countered. "They'll arrest you for associating with him." 

"They don't know who anyone is yet, of that I'm sure." 

"But Solidus knows!" Heero countered again. "And he's the goddamned President!" 

"Well, he hasn't revealed it. Somehow, I don't think he will." 

"But Relena..." 

"Trust me on this. You do trust me, don't you?" Relena asked, somewhat hurt. 

"Of course I trust you. I just promised to protect you, Relena. I have to, for so many different reasons." 

"Heero..." She flashed a brilliant smile and pulled his lips to hers. "As I said earlier, it will only be a few hours, and then I'll be right back here. Besides, the longer I'm absent, the more suspicion we will all attract, and I can help you guys out by easing the dogs off a little." She stood up to get a better look at him. 

"Why are you always right?" He asked again, standing up and smirking at her, running his hand up her thigh causing her to smile in pleasure. 

"Call it good judgment." She smiled. Relena provocatively placed her hand on Heero's groin. 

Heero was startled. She would definitely feel his arousal. 

She smiled. "Heero, please come into me, let's be one." 

He let out a small hint of shock, but quickly suppressed it. "Are you sure you're ready?" He used his monotone.

Relena answered with a loving, yet seductive smile. She removed her skirt and shook it off provocatively. Heero came over and took off her shirt while Relena fumbled with and finally managed to undo his belt. Heero helped along and rather violently kicked off his jeans. He took her in a loving kiss as his hands instinctively undid her bra. Her breasts fell out and were exceedingly soft to his chest and she moaned in delight as Heero's hands moved to her them to give gentle caresses. When Relena struggled to remove Heero's shirt he stopped her and quickly got it off. 

"I thought that damn thing would never come off." She teased. 

"It's not like you to swear." He himself teased as he once again trailed kisses along her neck. 

Relena giggled and shoved Heero onto their bed. She jumped on top of him. Relena placed one hand on Heero's groin, causing him to give a gentle moan that made her smile. She gently pulled his boxers off as Heero placed his mouth on her breast. Heero moved back up to her lips and began to pull off her panties. Their tongues dueled as Heero finished pulling her panties off.

"Oomph!" She squealed as Heero grabbed her and pulled her under him.

"I'm the one on top here." He smirked as he kissed her lips again. He gazed at her. Her naked form was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She smiled at him with love. "Relena…we don't have any protection."

"Heero, let's not worry about it. Just please let's make love…"

Heero kissed her again and slowly entered her. Her initial wincing of pain was quickly replaced by irrepressible pleasure. She moaned in delight, Heero quickly kissing her so that her sounds of pleasure would not attract too much attention. Gently they moved their hips in sync. Relena soon reached her climax with Heero following shortly after.

Heero gently ran his fingers along her curves after their climax.

"Heero…I love you." She whispered adoringly, running her fingers through his hair.

"I love you too, Relena." He kissed her forehead as he got up, eliciting a sigh from her when she felt him exit her.

"Relena, please don't go." He begged as he lay beside her, burying his face in her golden locks. "I'm terrified you're gonna run into Solidus."

"Heero, I thought we were over this." She tilted her head to look into his eyes. "Besides, even if I do run into Solidus, he'll be George Sears at work, not Solidus Snake. He won't be able to try anything. I'll catch up on paperwork, expose him for what he is and then I'll be right back here in your arms."

"You better." He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're mine."

"I've always been yours." She whispered sweetly.

Relena fell asleep almost immediately after. Heero, however was awake for a while, contemplating the danger. He would have stayed up longer, but Relena's gentle breathing caused him to relax and fall asleep.

"Why can't these gossip mongers stay away?" Milliardo angrily asked as they went into her office.

"They have nothing better to do with their lives." Relena answered equally as angry and threw tabloids in her trash can.

There were rumors that Relena had run off with the exceedingly good-looking 28-year-old Ambassador from L4, Mitchell Clark, when he stated that Relena was tiring from work and was looking to settle down with him.

"Why did he say those things?" Milliardo asked.

"He was probably angry that I refused his company for Solidus' party." She answered.

"Better for him." He smirked. "Snake would have given him a beating if he was preventing him from getting you out of there."

Relena laughed hysterically. "Yes he would have, and that would have been _really_ fun to watch. That man just does not take no for an answer." She sighed.

Of course Relena and Milliardo had immediately refuted the rumors as soon as they arrived back at her office in Brussels, to flashes of cameras that could have seemingly rivaled a supernova.

"Miss Relena." Her secretary, Sarah smiled upon entering her office. "Oh…Mr. Peacecraft, I wasn't expecting to see you."

Milliardo bowed his head with a smile.

"Miss Relena, the delegates from the Colonies request a meeting with you so that they can clear up the recent terrorist incidents at Havana and Sardinia. They want to you to assure President Sears that the incidents have no connection to any of the Colonies."

Relena sighed, a meeting with the delegates meant she would have to see Clark, which was somewhat tolerable if at work-but that, followed by a meeting with Solidus…Sears? Why did she even think of coming back to work?!

"Is next Wednesday at 1:30 ok with you, Miss Relena?"

"Yes…you can mark it down on my schedule."

"So, do you think the rumors are true Miss Relena?"

Relena's eyes narrowed. More rumors about her?

"What rumors?"

"You mean you haven't heard?! There are rumors that Solid Snake is alive and has returned!"

"Solid Snake?!" Relena asked in disbelief as Milliardo's eyes widened and he turned away.

"Yes. There have been sightings."

"That's nothing new." Relena countered. "There are always sightings. He's like that Elvis guy."

Sarah laughed. "But these may actually have some credit. I'm sure you'll hear further details as your day goes on."

Relena felt uneasy. Did word actually spread that fast? She knew for a fact that Snake would not want the general public to be on his back again. "I suppose…" She trailed.

"Your press conference will begin in a few hours. I'll tell you when you should get ready."

"Thank you, Sarah. I have a lot of paperwork to do. That will be all."

"Miss Relena, Mr. Milliardo." She smiled and nodded at both of them and left.

They both sighed, but did not dare say a word of Snake. Relena sat down in her chair and began working on the extensive papers, signing forms, making recommendations, faxing, the usual stuff. She eyed Heero's picture on her bookshelf and smiled.

"Milliardo, can you bring that picture over here, please?" She pointed to it.

Milliardo saw that the picture was the one taken around two years ago of her and Heero's arms interlocked in a park. He did not know what to think as he gave the picture to her. Relena smiled lovingly and placed the picture in front of her where she could easily see it. She sighed in content, thinking again of the previous night: how tender he was, how gentle and loving those hands of his that could and had easily killed people before were with her.

And how damn much she wanted to do it again.

"You slept with him, didn't you?" Milliardo stated more than asked, his eyes closed.

"That is none of your business!" She hissed as he walked behind her desk and toward her window.

"I suppose not."

"And I'll tell you now that…wh…what?!" She gasped as she realized what he had just said.

Milliardo half-turned to face her. "He's been treating you well. It seems that Snake really talked some sense into that kid. I suppose if he makes you happy I have to accept it."

"Yes, Snake does do that well. And yes, he makes me very happy. It's everything I've always wanted. Are you really happy for me?" She asked, still not quite believing this conversation.

"I suppose…yes. And if I tried to interfere, I'm all but certain that Snake would kick my ass, so there's also incentive to stay away." He lightly smiled.

Relena laughed. "Ok, now I'm even happier than before." She got up to hug her brother. "I feel much better knowing you're ok with things, and that the two of you are kind of getting along."

He smiled.

"And yes." She said, still in his embrace. "Snake _would_ kick your ass."

Suddenly they realized that they were saying the word 'Snake' too much and immediately shut up, Relena re-focusing on her paperwork, Milliardo helping her where he could.

"I am sorry about my extended absence. My visit with my brother got in the way. It has been a while since we've seen each other and we had much catching up to do." Relena smiled to the cameras and then her brother who was standing to her left at the end of the stage as the press conference began.

The press began to murmur.

"I came here today to talk about the recent terrorist incidents." Relena took a deep breath. This would be a defining moment of her career and could potentially ruin her. However, she knew that if the Patriots really wanted her ruined, she would be. Realizing this, she did not let the fear get to her.

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, is it true that the terrorists are from the Colonies?!" One reporter shouted.

"I will take your questions later, sir. But I was just about to say that the terrorists have no connection to any of the Colonies as far as I am aware. I am being assured by every Colonial delegate that they will present further proof of this fact next Wednesday when we meet." Relena swallowed in anticipation of this moment. "The real reason, I am sure of the terrorist attacks are not so much to start a war, but rather to _stop_ one from happening."

The reporters murmured.

"No one is excusing what these terrorists have done, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible." Relena swallowed. That meant her boyfriend, her brother, and all of her friends if they were ever found out. "But the real reason for the attacks is because there is much evidence that President Sears is developing a new Metal Gear illegally."

The reporters gasped.

"The evidence of Une's dismissal stems from the fact that she discovered President Sears' intentions. I have documentation of these facts and will present these shortly. One must understand the suffering that Metal Gear has caused the world to understand the motivations of the terrorists. As you know, the Military Science Act which authorized the creation of Metal Gear was not passed, and as such, the entirety of the Metal Gear project is unauthorized by the Earth-Sphere Unified Nation. While the terrorists are to blame, we must not pass judgment on President Sears' actions either."

Heero sighed in worry as he watched Relena back in Maine. The crew had gathered in the living room to watch her press conference.

"You slept with her last night." Snake whispered to Heero who was sitting next to him in his Snake-like tone.

Heero expected Snake to know, so his mild shock quickly wore off. He merely nodded with a "hn" and continued to watch Relena intently.

"Aren't the disasters of Outer Heaven, Zanzibar Land, and Shadow Moses enough?" She went on. "Big Boss and Liquid Snake showed just what could happen should such a device fall into the wrong hands. The Alliance showed just how easily Metal Gears can be used for tyranny. Could any of you imagine what would have happened if Metal Gear was used during the Eve Wars? As much as I hate violence, Solid Snake did the world a big favor by ridding it of Metal Gear. The last thing we need is for it to come back. The Earth-Sphere Unified Nation's representatives already said no, but President Sears continued anyway, that is the reason for the terrorist attacks."

"Miss Relena! Are the rumors true then?"

Relena began to perspire on her forehead, but hid it. She knew exactly what would be coming.

"What do you speak of, sir?"

"Has Solid Snake come back then? The circumstances seem right."

The reporters began to murmur and then yell.

Back in Maine, the crew was shocked.

"Damn!" Snake yelled, slamming his fist on the table. "They better not find out!"

The crew watched intently as Relena began to respond.

"I don't know who's been spreading these silly rumors. We all know that Snake is dead. The DNA was already confirmed seven years ago. These are nothing more than an unsubstantiated explanation for the present Metal Gear threat. These rumors are more appropriate for juveniles and should not have any standing in the serious issues we are facing at the present. I promise I will speak to you all again next week, thank you for your time."

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian!" The reporters tried to get her attention as they walked away from the stage.

"Well, I'll give it to you, kid. You're girlfriend really does know how to deal with annoying people at times." Snake complimented.

Heero smirked. "She was always been good at calling people out on their stupidity."

"I can't believe there are already rumors about you, Snake. I mean seriously!" Otacon sighed.

Snake grunted.

"She also brought my name up." Lady Une sighed. "I hope there's not a firestorm around me, and it better not spread to Mariemaia." She mentioned her adopted daughter that was currently attending a boarding school not far away under an assumed name.

"I want Relena back here now!" Heero growled.

"She's already en route, Heero, relax." Sally replied, trying to calm him down. "She and Milliardo will already be on their way to their flight."

"Did you give a reason why she would be coming here?" Snake asked.

"She claims to be looking to buy property here, enjoying the peace and quiet." Sally answered him.

"It'll be enough." Snake said.

Heero scowled, crossed his arms and leaned back against the nearest wall.

Noin, though she did not say it, was equally on edge.

"You dodged those reporters well." Milliardo complimented as they began the trek out of the building.

Relena smiled at him. She couldn't wait to be out of there and back to Maine. Maybe Sally's excuse was a worthwhile one. Perhaps she should look to buy a retreat there…it was so peaceful. "But now the _real_ test begins." She declared quietly, to prevent their Preventer guards from hearing. "What will Solidus do in response?"

Relena pushed the button for the elevator. No one else was in the hall. Thankfully, it looked like she and Milliardo would be out of there soon.

Suddenly, they heard the ping of metal around the floor. They turned to look.

The man was wearing a long brown coat, with belts of ammo around his clothing of brownish military camouflage. Relena's heart sank as Milliardo subtly got in front of her, an arm aching for his gun. The man clapped.

"Quite a bold speech, Miss Relena."

"Ocelot." She answered with disgust.

"What do you want?" Milliardo asked threateningly.

Ocelot laughed in response. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."

The Preventer guards stepped in front of the two and aimed their assault rifles at Ocelot. Ocelot responded by turning his back. A split second later, Ocelot spun, unloading a revolver at lightning-fast speed, a single bullet splitting each Preventer guard's head.

Relena gasped as the shower of blood spread throughout the room. Milliardo grabbed his gun. Ocelot was much quicker to his second revolver and quickly put a hole in Milliardo's chest.

His ice blue eyes glazed over as he slumped to the floor, blood pooling out of the wound.

"Milliardo!" She screamed and ran to her fallen brother. She looked up at Ocelot with horror and disgust, tears coming from her eyes. She went for Milliardo's gun.

"DON'T MOVE MISS RELENA!" She instantly froze at his raspy demand as he cocked the hammer on his gun back. "I'd hate to have to disfigure that pretty little face of yours."

His antiquated cowboy boots clinked as he slowly walked over. "Get up." He demanded.

Relena slowly rose to her feet. She suddenly saw and heard soldiers move all-around her, seemingly at Ocelot's beck and call. The next thing she knew a cloth was over her mouth. She knew it; she was inhaling chloroform. She put up a pathetic struggle but lost consciousness nearly immediately.

"Shalashaska, what shall we do with her?" One of the soldiers asked as he picked up the unconscious Relena.

"I will take her myself." He hefted her away and walked out of the building.

"Damnit!" Heero slammed his fist into the wall when he heard the news. "I TOLD HER IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS!"

"Heero…we'll get her back." Quatre tried to get to him but Heero wasn't hearing any of it right now.

"SNAKE YOU BASTARD!" Heero growled and walked up to him.

Snake's eyes were full of shock.

"YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! YOU LET HER GO! IF YOU WOULD HAVE JUST STICKED TO 'NO' SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THIS SITUATION!" He accused.

"Heero!" Snake tried to reason.

Heero was having none of it. He moved to strike Snake, but Snake easily blocked his punch, sidestepped, hurt his elbow by thrusting his shoulder into it, and punched him in the stomach, quickly spinning him around and getting Heero to the floor, Snake's forearm closed around Heero's throat, ready to choke him out at any time.

"Heero, it was her choice. Even I wouldn't have been able to keep her here forever. We need to work together now, fighting me will only make things worse."

Heero knew that Snake was right. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." Snake replied as he helped him up.

Noin walked past them to the door, her things packed.

"I have to go to Milliardo." She said through teary eyes.

The group nodded at her in understanding. She went up to Heero and hugged him. Surprised, he returned the hug. "I guess you are human after all." She joked.

Heero eyes lightened somewhat. "Hn." He nodded.

"We repeat again, Vice Foreign Minister Darlian has been abducted and her brother is in critical condition." The newscaster said over the TV. "We have not heard any demands at this time. This just in: the bullets used in the shooting are consistent with an ancient sort of revolver…the Colt Single-Action Army." The newscaster could not hide the wonder.

"Ocelot…" Snake said coldly.

Relena woke up the next morning in a nice bed, still in her blood stained business clothes. This was eerily similar to what happened with Mariemaia-but she knew that Ocelot was much more dangerous than that girl or even her grandfather Dekim could ever hope to be.

"Sleep well?"

She instantly recognized the coldness of the voice and looked to see Ocelot staring out a window at a city below.

"Welcome to New York, Miss Relena."

She angrily got up and walked over to him. "Why am I here?!"

Ocelot grabbed her wrist and led her out into the apartment's living room; she saw that the place was swarming with armed guards.

"Breakfast, Miss Relena?"

She could not hide the surprise to see that the apartment was beautiful with food that looked delightful already prepared.

"I assure you nothing is in the food."

He forced Relena to sit.

"You need not be afraid, Miss Relena. All you need to do is play your assigned role. No harm will come to you if you do so. In the meantime, you will find excellent food, lodging and a wardrobe here for you to enjoy."

"What do you mean?" She asked in a determined tone, getting up. What do you intend to do with me?" She looked into his eyes with wholehearted disgust.

"You are a safeguard to ensure the completion of a project that we have been working on for a great while now. In addition to the upcoming and long-awaited completion of the project, we will finally rid ourselves of the most annoying thorns in our side that ever existed-Snake and those damn kid Gundam pilots-including your boyfriend, Heero Yuy. Yes, they will all be dead shortly."

Relena gasped and her eyes lost their spark. She was full of concern now…and how did he know about Heero?

"Does Yuy please you Miss Relena? Will you miss him…miss the pleasure of his touch?"

Relena slapped Ocelot as hard as she could in anger, causing him to smile.

"Of course, it's not a certainty that he'll die. He may just win…but the odds are against him and his friends."

"Heero won't lose!" She remembered saying that exact thing so long ago. "None of them will lose!"

"I like your optimism. You will be getting a live feed of the progress of the project when it begins."

"Why the act of kindness from such a cold man?"

Ocelot laughed out loud. "Miss Relena, it's not your concern for your friends that I wish to ease, I just want to show you just how powerless you really are…_and always have been_." He stated coldly as he walked out the door.

"What about my brother?" She scowled as he opened the door.

Ocelot laughed and walked out.

**A/N:** Please review.


	12. The Big Shell

Chapter 11: The Big Shell 

April 29th, After Colony 200. 

Heero continued to scowl as the group continued hearing the news broadcast from their base of operations: a comfortably-sized ship that they had stolen from a harbor in Maine. They were currently sitting at a non-descript point in the New York harbor area. 

"The latest we hear is that the terrorists who seized control of the Big Shell six hours ago have demanded thirty billion dollars. Once again, they have hostages, President Sears and Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, who was abducted last month, are believed to be among them." 

'Relena...' Heero's eyes narrowed as he thought of her. That last night he had spent with her... 

_"I've always been yours."___

Heero grimaced. Arsenal would soon be taken care of, and he finally could give her the full attention he had neglected to give for so long. 

"Heero." Duo snapped him out of his thought. "Sit down, we're about to begin." 

Glaring slightly, he took a seat. 

A few weeks prior, the crew had finally figured out Arsenal's AI. That, along with painstakingly tracking the movements and work history of a certain Emma Emmerich (which took quite a bit of hacking), had brought them to this location: the cleanup facility known as 'Big Shell.' It was troublesome work, made all the slower with the loss of Milliardo and Noin. He had lucked out: a rare mistake by Ocelot. The damage by the bullet was able to be repaired. The doctors had told Noin how lucky he really was: if the bullet had hit only half an inch above where it had, his heart would have been annihilated. 

Unfortunately, this terrorist incident beat them to the Big Shell. 

For Snake, it was an irony. He had come full-circle. He was partially responsible (although he knew that there was no oil on that tanker and that Ocelot was the true bomber) for the Big Shell's construction. He could not help but think that if he had not gone on that mission seven years ago, the Shell would not have been built. 

"Let's go over one more time what we're dealing with before we start." Trowa stoically suggested. 

"Good idea." Lady Une stated. "The terrorists who took control of the Shell are members of the former elite unit known as 'Dead Cell.', and a Russian Private Army. The terrorists call themselves the 'Sons of Liberty.' We know for a fact that Solidus is in command." 

"It's too perfect." Duo blurted. "Solidus goes in as President Sears, and gets taken hostage. It's the last thing anyone will expect." 

Heero, Trowa, and Snake silently nodded. 

"Miss Relena should be in there." Otacon injected. "Ocelot was the one who took her hostage after all, and he is no doubt in there with Solidus." 

Heero's fist slammed on the wall of their ship. Snake put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. 

"I'm going in first." Snake declared. 

"Snake, shouldn't you get some backup?" Duo asked. 

"Not a good idea Maxwell. Haven't you been paying attention?" Wufei scowled. 

"Well excuse me for trying to help Heero. Can't you see he's stressed?" 

Heero hated to admit it, but it was true. This past month was the most stress-filled hell-on-earth he had experienced in his life. For the first time in his life he was utterly worried about someone.

"The military has elite special ops guys going in there." Snake went over the situation again. "Going in together will draw too much attention. For now, we have to assume the Unified Army soldiers are our enemies just as much as Solidus and the Sons of Liberty are." 

The group nodded somberly. 

"I'll go in and check on the situation. Then we can come up with a more detailed plan. Those special ops guys probably won't last for long though." 

The group's eyes saddened, knowing that it was probably true. 

"Taking the Kamov will draw too much attention at this point." Otacon spoke of their newly-requisitioned Kasatka. "You'll have to swim." 

"I know. I'll catch you later." 

"Good luck!" Quatre called out. 

Snake touched fists with Quatre as he made his way to prepare his swimming gear. Heero had followed him. They eyed each other. Snake had been impressed with Heero before, but since he had revealed his feelings to Relena Heero had gained his undying respect. Heero was honored, and except for Relena's love, Snake's respect was the thing that meant the most to him. 

"I'll see you inside." Snake stated as he finished gearing up. 

"Hn." Heero nodded. 

Snake shook Heero's hand. 

"I promise if I find her you'll be the first to know." 

Heero nodded again. 

Snake cut through the chain-link fencing surrounding the Big Shell down to the ocean floor. He swam up into the Big Shell and came up in a small pool of water. The Codec rang. 

"Snake, you're in Shell 1, Strut A if you want to know." Otacon said to him over the Codec. 

Snake climbed out of the water and discarded his diving gear. He checked his weapons for malfunctions, and found that there were none. Snake made his way toward a door. He turned the wheel to open it and stepped through the hallway, noticing movement on his radar. There were three soldiers in the adjoining room. Silently, Snake moved to a hiding place between a square-like crate that was in the center of the room. 

Footsteps got louder as Snake's AP sensor began to vibrate wildly. As he passed by the opening, Snake grabbed his target's shoulders and did an Uchi-Mata Judo throw, tossing the enemy into the opening. The force of the throw had left Snake's enemy unable to fight back. A sharp kick to the temple knocked him out. Peering around the corner to his right, Snake saw that the back of the second enemy on patrol in the room was turned. Before he could get past the crate, Snake had him in a rear-naked choke and out cold. Snake peered around the crate and waited for the third enemy soldier to go turn his back. 

"Is someone there?" He walked toward where Snake was. 

Mentally sighing to himself, Snake tackled the approaching guard and knocked him out by well-aimed punches to his temples. Getting up, he pressed for the elevator. Slowly stepping inside, he rode it to the top. 

"This is Snake. I'm at the top of Strut A, Shell 1." He reported as he made his way to avoid being seen by the guard. 

"Snake, it seems that the special ops team is set to begin assaulting Strut C. Get over there now. We need to see what everyone is up to." Otacon relayed. 

"Roger that. Heading to Strut C now." 

Snake moved into the interior of Strut A. He headed down the stairs and flattened himself to the wall. Two patrols were in this room in what looked to be a cubicle-like area. They were easy enough to avoid and he headed toward the sliding door that led to the AB connecting bridge. Snake easily tranquilized the lone guard on it and moved into Strut B. 

Strut B had two guards, one in the hallway and one in the actual Transformer Room. Snake tranquilized the one in the hall and ignored the one in the room, continuing on to the BC connecting bridge. 

The rhythmic sound of gunfire from assault rifles was heard as Snake came to the bridge. Peering around the corner, Snake saw that a few special ops soldiers were firing their M4s at a woman, but she was not being hit. 

"What the hell, nothing's hitting her!" One of them shouted. 

"Fortune!" Duo and Wufei exclaimed. 

Snake eyed the scene with intensity and sadness. He knew what would be coming. 

"Another bad day!" She scowled. "Isn't there anyone who can kill me and give me happiness?" 

"Don't let her get away!" One of the special ops guys shouted. 

Suddenly, the connecting bridge was being swarmed with men from the special ops team. 

"Ready grenades!" The man in the lead ordered. 

Upon the leader firing his grenade, the entire squad was shocked. 

"A dud?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. 

Fortune readied her rail gun, aiming at the pack of troops that were on the staircase of the bridge leading to the Shell 1 Core. She fired; a high-speed beam of electricity blasted the troops apart and shattered the metal of the bridge. Fortune fired a few more times, sending her targets flying away into their own oblivions. 

Fortune angrily looked down at the last Special Ops soldier as the part of the bridge he stood on collapsed under him, sending him crashing down to the water below. 

Once Fortune left, Snake slowly made his way out to the bridge. Snake heard chatter coming from another point of the Shell over the Codec, which Otacon had tweaked into the Unified Military's system-the second group of Special Ops guys was screaming. No doubt they had run into Vamp. Snake closed his eyes as he heard the last one fall. He quickly got back on task. 

"Otacon. I'm sure you heard about the C4s by now." 

"Of course." He answered. 

"The Special Ops team has been wiped out. This is a good spot. Otacon, send me some reinforcements. We have to defuse those C4s before we do anything else." 

"Roger that." 

"Trowa and Quatre. You guys are gonna board the Kamov and get onto the Shell. Snake needs help disarming the C4s. Gear up, you will be meeting Snake on the BC connecting bridge." Lady Une ordered. 

Trowa and Quatre nodded and began to gear up. 

"C'mon, I'll fly you guys over." Sally motioned once they were done getting prepared. 

The high-pitched rumbling of the Kasatka came closer and closer. Finally, Sally appeared in the window of the Kasatka, giving a small greeting salute to Snake, who returned the gesture. She hovered about ten feet above the bridge, Trowa and Quatre dropping down from ropes that were strung out of the cabin. 

After they landed, she took off back toward their ship. 

Snake nodded at the two former Gundam pilots as Sally flew into the distance. 

"So Snake, what are we gonna do?" Quatre asked. 

"Dispose of those C4s. We won't be able to do what we need to do if the Shell is under the constant threat of getting blown to smithereens. There was a man that was brought in by the Preventers to work with the special ops team. His name is Peter Stillman. He can get rid of those C4s." 

"We have to find him then." Quatre said. 

"Follow me. Keep your guard up. He shouldn't be far." 

Quatre nodded, while Trowa remained silent and followed. 

The three went into Strut C. They checked their radars. There were two guards on either side of a dining hall- one in the hall itself, with the other in the kitchen. Snake motioned for Trowa to stand by the entrance to the dining hall while motioning for Quatre to keep behind him.

Snake and Quatre waited outside the door that led into the kitchen. 

"Trowa, now!" Snake ordered over the Codec. 

Snake walked into the kitchen as Trowa walked into the hall, they both fired their M9s at nearly the same time, the thud of the guards hitting the ground sounding out. Trowa walked into the kitchen and nodded at Snake. All three men saw a life form in the pantry on their Codecs. 

Snake opened the door to the pantry slowly. 

The crippled man inside looked at them through curious eyes. 

"Are you guys part of Spec Ops Alpha?" He asked, giving the Special Forces squad a name. 

Snake, Trowa, and Quatre eyed each other. 

"No we're...with another squad." Snake answered. "We came to help dispose of the C4s." 

"This is the bomb disposal guy?" Quatre asked. 

"Kid, this is THE bomb disposal guy." Snake responded. "You'll see his name on anything that has to relate with explosives disposal." 

"Hmph. That's just ancient history now. I'm just a poor old man who got dragged along on this thing." 

"So why did you come here then?" Quatre asked with sympathetic eyes. He could tell that this man was in a lot of emotional pain. 

"One of the terrorists here is a former student of mine, he calls himself 'The Emperor of Explosives' and goes by the name Fatman. He built an Atomic Bomb when he was only ten."

Quatre let out a startled gasp. Even Trowa couldn't hide the shock that his eyes expressed for a second before placing his stoic mask back on. 

"I created him, in part, and therefore I am partly responsible for his actions." 

"And that's why you're here." Snake finished for him. 

Stillman nodded. "I was supposed to supervise the bomb disposal, but it seems it's a little too late for that..." 

"Not necessarily." Snake interrupted. "You have three guys here who can claim to be experts in bomb disposal. We can handle it. By the way, I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade Iroquois Pliskin. These are my guys Bruce McClane, and Michael Reese." He motioned to Trowa and Quatre respectively. 

Stillman sighed, handing each man a bomb detector. "These will, to put it simply, detect the presence of a bomb in the area. I don't need to go over all of the scientific details. Fatman always leaves a trace of the cologne he uses on every bomb he makes. The sensor will also pick up that particular scent." 

The three men nodded. 

"This coolant spray will freeze the bombs for at least 24 hours. It's not as good as actually disposing of the bomb, but under the circumstances this is the best option." He said as he handed the three men the spray. 

Eyeing the spray, they nodded once again. 

"I thought Fatman was the son I never had..." Stillman trailed. "I suppose his special treatment may have started all of this. I taught him skills, but never the most important thing. We all need to pass something on; the trick is to know the right thing... Sorry, I guess I got sidetracked. Get going." 

"Right." Snake affirmed. "Michael, come with me over to Shell 2. Bruce, take care of the C4s here."

Snake and Quatre left the room. 

"You guys aren't in the Unified Army." Stillman said, sitting in the pantry. 

"You don't trust us then." Trowa stated. 

"I have no choice _but_ to trust you. I know those aren't your real names either." Stillman began to close the door. 

"I never had a real name." Trowa answered as he began to walk out. 

"Iroquois Pliskin, Bruce McClain, and Michael Reese?" Quatre asked with a hand over his mouth to cover his laughing as he and Snake made their way stealthily across the Shell 1-2 connecting bridge. 

"It was the first thing that came to mind." Snake answered. "We couldn't say 'this is Solid Snake, Trowa Barton- former Heavyarms pilot, and Quatre Raberba Winner, former Sandrock pilot." 

"Of course." He said as they reached Shell 2-withoug being seen. 

"We'll split up. Quatre, takes Struts G, H, and I. I'll take Struts J, K, and L." 

"All right." Quatre nodded and walked in the opposite direction from Snake. 

The bomb in Strut C was easy enough. It was in the ladies room. Trowa was now working on the bomb in Strut D. Sneaking around was easy. With Trowa's acrobatic skill, combined with what he'd been doing his entire life, he perhaps could be better at sneaking around than Snake.

_'A big perhaps_.' Trowa thought. He tranquilized the nearest guard as he entered Strut D. Performing a back flip off the small platform from the door, Trowa easily found the bomb under a part of the floor that was pulled up. Stealthily, Trowa performed a high-kick to the back of the head of a guard that blocked his path, sending him flying down into the sediment pool with a scream. 

The first kill of the day. 

Trowa silently made his way to the DE connecting bridge. He caught the guard on the upper level in a rear-naked choke and moved into Strut E. Seeing that the bomb was nowhere inside the interior of the strut, Trowa quietly tranquilized the guard in his way and made his way up to the helipad. 

Stealthily making his way across the large helipad (as such, it was rather easy to avoid being seen by the linear-sighted guards) Trowa found that the bomb was under the Harrier that was docked there. He crawled under the Harrier and sprayed the coolant, diffusing the C4. 

"Snake, Quatre, I've got three C4s disarmed." Trowa reported over a private line on the Codec-making sure Stillman could not hear their names. 

"Nice goin kid, you're way ahead of me, I'm only on my second one." Snake complimented. 

"How are you doing, Quatre?" Trowa asked as he made his way back down the stairs into the interior of Strut E. 

"I'm also working on my second bomb." Quatre reported. 

"This doesn't make any sense." Stillman said to the three of them over the Codec. 

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked.

"The bombs aren't placed right. This is something an amateur would do... The places of these bombs aren't enough to cause major structural damage to the Big Shell. Something's fishy here." 

"What should we do?" Quatre questioned. 

"We have no choice but to keep going. We'll just have to stay on guard." 

"I've just finished with the last bomb in Shell 1. The bomb in Strut B has been taken care of." Trowa said around 20 minutes after the last conversation with Stillman. 

"I'm about to finish my last bomb." Snake reported. 

"Good." Quatre said. "I've already finished mine. I'll meet up with you." 

"Roger that." Snake responded. 

"Wait! Pliskin! Don't do it!" Stillman motioned. "Damn!" He shouted as he heard the clink of the bomb freezing. "That bomb was the last of the baby bombs that activated the big one. There's a big bomb at the bottom of Strut H along with Strut A. Those two going off simultaneously will destroy the Big Shell." 

"I'll disarm it!" 

"Wait! Pliskin, you can't! You don't have the sensor; you won't be able to find it! The big bombs will elude your current sensor! I have to go over there and do it myself!" 

"You can't! Not with that leg of yours!" Quatre exclaimed. 

"It's fine...I can walk and even run! I lied about the leg. I have a confession to make...that Church bombing you've all no doubt heard about...I've been covering up my injury. I'm not a cripple. I've been trying to hide the guilt from not being able to save those kids that got killed. I acted like a cripple to sooth my guilty conscience... and now it's up to me to make up for my mistakes..." 

"Mr. Stillman..." Quatre trailed, trying to sound sympathetic. 

"McClane, come back over to Strut C and get the modified bomb detector. Unfortunately you won't get a visual on the radar; you'll have to go by the beeping sound. The louder the beep, the closer the bomb is. Hurry! I'm leaving for Shell 2 now." 

"Roger that." Trowa affirmed. "Heading to Strut C now!" 

"Michael, we'll remain split and clear the way for Stillman." Snake ordered. 

"Got ya." Quatre answered. 

Trowa ran down into the bottom of Strut A, confronting the three guards that Snake had knocked out earlier. He tranquilized two guards and hit the third in the stomach with a Muay-Thai flying knee-followed by a kick to his downed head. 

"Pliskin, Reese, get as far away from Strut H as you can. This bomb is going off in thirty seconds. McClane, if you get too close to the bomb it will trigger a proximity fuse, be careful!" 

"Stillman, you have to get out!" Trowa blurted, surprised at even himself for the outburst. 

"It's too late for me." He responded. "Stay as far away from the bomb as you can when diffusing it. The coolant has a spray range of seven feet. Do it, I'm counting on you!" 

An explosion rocked the big shell that was made all the louder over the Codec. 

"Stillman!" Quatre cried over the Codec, but knowing full well he was gone. 

"Severe damage to Shell 2!" Lady Une yelled. 

"Everyone's OK." Otacon, said, soothing the worried faces that sprang up. 

"Otacon, find those hostages. We have to make sure none of them got hurt." Lady Une ordered. 

Otacon nodded and began to type away. 

"Quatre, where are you?" Snake asked over the Codec. 

"I'm in Strut G. There's severe damage, but I'm not hurt." 

"Ok, stay there. I'll come over and meet you." 

"Holding position." 

Trowa's bomb sensor was blipping wildly. He dove into the pool at the bottom of Strut A and climbed up the ladder. He crouched down and saw a pulsing green light on the bottom of some submarine-like craft. Trowa got the best angle possible-being very careful not to come too close, and sprayed the coolant. The clink of the bomb freezing was a satisfying sound. 

"Trowa here. I got the bomb." 

"Good job." Lady Une said in confirmation. "Trowa, we are receiving a message from Fatman. It seems he wishes to challenge you to a fight. He's got a bomb on the Strut E helipad. Get over there now! You only have 400 seconds!"

Trowa slightly grimaced and then quickly made his way out to Strut E. 

Snake grimaced at the wreckage he was trying to travel through. He still had three more damn struts to get to Strut G. 

"It's the enemy! I need help!" 

Snake turned and saw an enemy soldier behind him. He quickly shot him in the heart with the USP he was carrying. Snake broke out his M4 and got ready for hell as he tried to find a suitable hiding place. Snake opened fire with his M4 as the nearest sliding door opened, impaling the heavily-armored terrorist troops with his gunfire and sending blood flying through the room. He made his way into another room. Snake eyed a locker and went inside. 

Trowa raced up the steps onto the helipad, and noticed that the Harrier was gone. He found the bomb on the radar picked up by his A sensor and disarmed it. He suddenly heard a voice that seemed to move in and out. 

"You're right on time. I like a punctual man." 

Trowa's eyes darted about as he pulled out his M4. 

"Hear the rhythm? I used to hang around department store clock counters. Life is short. Bombs tell every moment of their existence, and nothing announces its end with such a fanfare." 

Trowa did not flinch as the rather tubby man came out on roller blades wearing an obscenely thick coat. He was drinking a glass of wine. 

"Get ready the party's about to start. Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna plant a bomb, and then you're gonna try your best to diffuse it. It should make for an interesting little game, don't you think?" 

Trowa remained stoic. 

"The strong silent type, huh? Well then, let's get started. Laugh, and grow fat!" 

Quatre paced back and forth in what remained of Strut G. Snake must have been having difficulties getting through the wreckage and avoiding the enemy. He was about to use the Codec to contact Snake when he heard a gun click to the back of his head. The familiar voice made his eyes bulge to quite large proportions. 

"Quatre Raberba Winner."

Of course, every Metal Gear fan will know that Iroquois Pliskin was the alias Snake used during the beginning of the Shell in Metal Gear Solid 2. But I got Bruce McClane from Die Hard (Bruce for the actor Willis and McClane for the character he played) and Michael Reese from Terminator (again, first name for the actor, last for the portrayed character).


	13. Dead Cell

**A/N:** Long ass time, I know, been busy, and maybe a little lazy. Anyway, onward.

Chapter 12: Dead Cell 

"Quatre Raberba Winner." The female voice sounded out again. 

"Dorothy..." Quatre trailed. 

She strode toward his front, never lowering her gun. She now pointed it in his eyes. 

"Dorothy, why are you here?" 

"All sorts of reasons." She coyly answered. 

"But why Dorothy, why join Solidus?!" He practically screamed. 

"Don't you _dare_ yell at me!" She cocked the hammer of her gun. She suddenly lowered it a little, shocking Quatre. "I didn't come here to make an enemy of you." 

Quatre's eyes were full of questions with the shock. 

Trowa leapt to diffuse the second bomb that Fatman had planted. It was on top of one of the shipping containers. He aimed the coolant spray and sprayed until he heard the clink. Suddenly, Fatman came speeding up to Trowa and fired his weapon, Trowa back flipping over him and the hail of gunfire. 

Yes, being in the circus did have its advantages. 

Trowa rolled and aimed his M4, but Fatman was already out of his sight, screaming a number as he planted bombs. 

"It's time to get back to bombs!"

Trowa showed slight frustration and followed his radar to the nearest bomb. 

"All sorts of reasons." Dorothy answered again. 

"No!" Quatre suddenly grabbed her shoulders with the gun now planted into his abdomen. "Why?" 

Dorothy jumped back and pointed the gun at his face with a smile. "This is where my heart takes me." 

"Dorothy..." 

"Let's take a break from bombs!" Fatman cried with glee as he fired at Trowa, who rolled for cover. 

Trowa then climbed up onto a shipping container and jumped down at Fatman, firing his rifle into his thick coat. Fatman fell down. Trowa back flipped and fired the M4 in the air. The rounds pierced Fatman's coat and he gave a bloodcurling scream. 

"You think you've won..." Fatman smirked. "The party isn't over yet. I'll go down in history as the greatest bomber of them all...the man who beat Peter Stillman." 

"What do you mean?" Trowa asked, somewhat annoyed. 

"There's still the biggest bomb in the entire place. I assure you it isn't far." He began to laugh. "Laugh, and grow fat!" He coughed as his life left him. 

"Trowa! You have to diffuse that bomb!" Lady Une called to him over the Codec. 

"Roger that. I think I know where it is." 

He checked his bomb detector one more time; he was seemingly right on top of it. Trowa grabbed Fatman and grimaced as he struggled to move the tub of lard's body. He saw the rather large C4 and froze it.

"Trowa here, the bomb is taken care of." 

"Dorothy...but why here? Why Solidus?" 

Dorothy's coy smile did not retreat. "We have a mutual cause. That's all I will say for now." 

"Wufei, I want you to go over there and find Otacon's sister. Duo, I'm sending you in to relieve Trowa and Quatre." Lady Une instructed. "Duo, you need to cover Wufei." 

Duo and Wufei immediately went in to gear up. 

Heero slammed his fist into the wall. "I want in." He commanded. 

"You will go when Snake and I are ready for you." Lady Une stated in a flat voice. 

Heero growled. Otacon looked at him with sympathetic eyes. His tone softened...Otacon had a personal motive to be in there, too. "We're going in together, Heero. Just wait a little while, ok?" 

"Hn." He said with a nod. 

The door slid open. Quatre's eyes darted toward it while Dorothy's smile grew as the man she sought to speak with entered. 

"Solid Snake. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. The legend arrives in the flesh!" 

"Dorothy Catalonia...?" Snake trailed as he pointed his M4 at her. "What are you doing here?" 

"Ah." Her smile widened even further. "I am so honored that the legendary Solid Snake knows my name."

"A legend is usually bad news. There isn't much of a difference between a legend and a madman." 

"Don't degrade yourself. You have made the lives of all the people of the Earth-Sphere much more interesting." 

Snake scowled. 

"Snake, I really should like to duel with you." Dorothy suddenly lowered her gun from Quatre and produced two fencing sabers, throwing the second at Snake. 

"No." Snake said with finality, never lowering his M4 from its aim at Dorothy's center of mass. 

"Hmph. It is not befitting that a brave knight such as yourself turn down a challenge." 

"I'm no knight." Snake answered coldly. 

"There once was a soldier named Big Boss." Dorothy continued on, turning her back. "This man was the most powerful warrior of his time. In a somewhat misguided effort to create warriors like him, the Alliance took his cells. Out of that project came three terrible children. Two of those children wished to continue their father's dream. One of them was disobedient and killed his own father. The one that committed patricide went on to supplant his father and take his place as the world's most powerful warrior. Yes, he was the Zeus in the world of fighting-men. This man went on to commit fratricide to stop his own brother from creating his father's dream. He posed as being dead, but a god can never die. And now he returns...to commit another fratricide for the same reason." (**A/N:** Zeus supplanted his father Cronus and took his place as the ruler of all gods and men.) 

"So you've retold my life's story." Snake answered calmly. "Listen lady, what do you want?" 

"You, who commit fratricide...to stop you're brother from achieving the same goal you have as well." Dorothy made no attempt to answer. 

"And what would that be?" 

"The same reason I came here: THE END OF THE PATRIOTS!" Dorothy screamed, finally showing some emotion. 

"Dorothy..." Quatre trailed. "This isn't the way to do it!" 

"How would you know?" She eyed him angrily. "You can't know! "I came to take revenge on the Patriots! They took everything from me! They killed my grandfather, all for their little pet project! My grandfather served them loyally, and suddenly Relena shows up and he becomes a liability, so they arrange for his death! I thought he had died as a warrior!" She spat. "He was just set up, it was just a damn hit!" 

"Dorothy, please. Let me help you." Quatre's eyes began to water. 

"You can help by leaving me be. This is where the end of the Patriots happens. Outer Heaven! Warriors will take their rightful place, free of the Patriots' meddling and controlling, and I will have my revenge." 

"Outer Heaven was nothing more than Big Boss's delusional fantasy!" Snake spat. 

"You call it delusional, and I always respect the opinion of the world's greatest warrior. But I think it's right. It is what we need now, to shake off the Patriots. We do not need the total pacifism of the Sanc Kingdom, we not the hardened warriors of Outer Heaven." 

"I'll tell you what I told Liquid-I don't want that kind of world." Snake spat. 

Dorothy laughed. "Just what I expected, I greatly admire your independence. But my challenge remains. Snake, I wish for you to fight me. Accept my challenge! Stop denying yourself and be the warrior you are!" 

"No. Lady, get out of here, I know you are better than this." 

Dorothy smiled. "Show me who's better. Am I worthy to fight the most powerful soldier that ever was born? SHOW ME! SHOW ME THAT MY LIFE STILL HAS WORTH!" Dorothy ran toward Snake with her saber drawn. 

Snake was having none of it. He broke out his M9 and shot Dorothy in her forehead, tranquilizing her. 

"Dorothy. I'm so sorry." Quatre sadly said as he moved over her unconscious body. 

"That girl has issues." Snake observed as he reached for a cigarette. 

"She's gotten worse..." Quatre said. "I should have been there for her. I'm so sorry I ever stopped seeing her, it was all just a big misunderstanding." 

"I won't pry into that." Snake stated. "Get her out of here. You're relieved, help her out Quatre. I'll cover your exit." 

Quatre cradled Dorothy and made his way outside. He waved at Snake as he entered the Kasatka, Trowa already sitting beside him. They took off toward the ship. Now that that...distraction was out of the way, Snake got back to work. 

"Duo, Wufei. Where are you and what's the situation?" He asked over the Codec. 

"I'm here to provide cover for Wufei, he's going into the Shell 1 Core to observe the hostages. Apparently there's someone named 'Ames' who was taken that knows Emma's location." 

"I'm heading to the Shell 1 Core now. I've already taken a uniform from one of the terrorists." Wufei reported. 

"Ok." Snake affirmed. "I assume you know how to deal with the retinal scan down there?"

"Of course." 

"Right. Keep me posted, I'll hang around here for a while and see if there's anything I can do."

"Roger." Both ex-pilots said at once. 

Wufei made his way past the claymores using the mine detector. He tossed a chaff grenade to dull the cyphers and made his way across the bridge leading to the core. He had already geared up in the uniform the terrorists and snagged an AK from the warehouse, in contrast to the AN-94 that the rest of the terrorists were using, he had learned that the terrorists in the core were using AKs. 

Wufei quietly made his way to the elevator, appearing just like one of the terrorists and not raising any ruckus. The security camera by the elevator did not sound an alarm as Wufei pushed the down button. He got into the elevator and went down to level B1. 

Wufei quickly got a call on the Codec. Otacon's voice sounded through his ears. 

"Wufei, you'll need a directional microphone to find Ames. The only thing we know about him...or her, is that this person has a pacemaker. Unless you can find a directional microphone to listen for the beep of the pacemaker, there's no way you'll be able to find Ames." 

"And where can I find one of those?" Wufei growled in annoyance. 

"I think you'll find something on level B2. According to the layout of the Shell, there's a lot of technical equipment down there." Snake cut into the conversation. 

"All right, it can't hurt to try." Wufei grunted as he pushed for the elevator. Once it came he headed for B2. Wufei found that there were no guards on the level and quickly found a directional microphone on a shelf. Wufei headed back upstairs to B1. He hugged the wall and waited for one of the terrorists to be near the retinal scan. When one came near, Wufei swiftly grabbed his victim in a chokehold and moved him over to the scanner, shoving his face into it. 

The door slid open and Wufei went inside after making sure his latest terrorist victim was unconscious. The Codec rang with the frequency of '141.12.' 

"Now remember Wufei, Ames has a pacemaker, use the directional microphone to listen in when you get the chance. But remember to hold your AK and look like one of them when a patrol is coming nearby; use the Soliton radar." 

Wufei started to get to work, holding his AK and walking slowly, looking like a terrorist on patrol within the room. He walked toward the less populated area of the room first. Waiting for the terrorist on patrol to pass, Wufei broke out the directional microphone and pointed it toward the first hostage's chest. No pacemaker. Wufei scowled and moved on to the next hostage. No such luck. Wufei was about to examine the next hostage when he saw that the terrorist was approaching him. In response, Wufei broke out his AK and proceeded to walk slowly, averting suspicion. 

"Reporting no problems in the hall on B1, in the Shell One Core." The terrorist said as he walked away. 

Wufei examined the next hostage and came up empty-handed. The former Altron pilot scowled. This was getting very annoying. Wufei walked over to a lone hostage leaning against a table. He pointed the directional microphone at the man's chest and heard the sound that he had been looking for: a beep with the heartbeat. 

"Hey, you. Are you Ames?" Wufei asked bluntly as he ripped off the man's blindfold and the duct tape covering his mouth. 

"Wha...what's going on?" 

"Take it easy, I'm not a terrorist." Wufei assured. "I came to ask about someone who works here...Emma Emmerich." 

"...Switch over to nanocommunication." 

After the beeping that signified an incoming Codec call, Wufei spoke up. "So, I hear that you're the chief of security of this place." 

"No. I'm just a messenger of the la-li-lu-le-lo." 

"The Patriots?" 

"What? You must not be with the Preventers or Unified Army..." 

"I told you, I'm not a terrorist." Wufei repeated in an annoyed tone. 

"I guess I have no choice but to trust you. Solidus has used his nuclear football to punch in a code to launch a nuclear strike." 

"Nuclear strike?!" 

"Yes...a high-altitude detonation. The electro-magnetic pulse from the blast will fry all electronics in Manhattan. He plans to take it offline...turn it into some kind of a republic. A nuclear strike was his plan all along." 

"Outer Heaven..." Wufei muttered. 

"Yes. To stop the nuclear strike, you'll have to find Emma Emmerich. She's the designer of the system; she'll know how to disable it." 

"And where do I find her?" 

"You'll find her in the Shell 2 core, level B1 in Filtration Chamber Number Two. She is hiding from the terrorists." 

"Wait, do you know where the'yre holding Vice Forei-" 

"Here comes Ocelot." Ames cut him off. "Quick, get your AK ready and look like a terrorist!" 

Wufei held his AK and slowly began to pace when he was stopped by a voice. 

"You. What are you doing?" Ocelot spoke as he walked towards Wufei and looked him in the eyes. "What squad are you a part of?" 

Wufei did not answer; his voice would give him away. He knew he was in deep shit; this was only confirmed by the sounds of rifles clicking and additional terrorists strolling towards him. 

"Do you know this fellow?" Ocelot spoke to one of the other terrorists. 

"No. He's not one of mine." He answered in a heavy Russian accent as he yanked the ski mask off of Wufei. The terrorists raised their weapons to fire at the newly-discovered intruder when something seemingly fell from thin air to stop them. Everyone was shocked, even to Wufei's greater shock, Ocelot. 

"A...ninja?!" Ames asked in disbelief, gazing at the ninja's exoskeleton-like armor. "Wait...now I understand! Ocelot!" He screamed and squirmed as he suddenly seemed to die of a heart attack. 

The ninja slashed with its sword, splattering the blood of the two terrorist nearest to the blade and allowing Wufei to make a break for the staircase leading back up to the door. The ninja covered his retreat. 

"Go! I'll hold them off!" It shouted at Wufei, deflecting bullets with its sword. As Wufei was about to exit the room, Ocelot reached out and touched him. A bullet pierced his side-just below his right ribcage. Wufei grunted in pain as he hobbled out of the room, the Codec showing the word 'ALERT' in red. 

"Wufei, you have to hide." Otacon told him. 

"I've been hit." He grunted, holding his side. 

"Damnit." Otacon muttered. "Ok, there's a locker room down the hall and to the right, go in there." 

Wufei hobbled as best he could toward the locker room, hearing the elevator coming down which without a doubt housed an assault team. Wufei made his best attempt at a sprint and got into the room and inside a locker just as he heard the elevator click down to level B1. Blood was pooling inside the locker, and Wufei's hand was getting a crimson soaking.

"Otacon, I'm bleeding bad." Wufei said through clenched teeth as the Codec went from 'ALERT' to 'EVASION.' 

"I know. Snake and Duo are already working to get you out, just keep calm." 

"Wufei." Snake came onto the Codec. "Once things cool off head to the Strut E helipad. I've hijacked an enemy Kasatka. Duo, secure the Shell 1-2 connecting bridge, I'll have to fly through there." 

"I've got bad news though, the enemy Harrier isn't on the Helipad." Duo called in. 

"Great, our chances with a Harrier after us are next to nothing." Snake muttered. "Duo, where are you now?" 

"Im in Strut D, heading to the connecting bridge now." 

"Right...I'm putting the Kasatka an auto pilot on a course for the helipad; just...make sure no one will be shooting at me when I come by." 

"Gotcha." Duo replied as he snuck past the guards and went through the sliding door to the Shell 1-2 connecting bridge. Duo peered around the corner and saw that the coast was clear. Duo heard the rumbling of a helicopter and saw Snake in the window, who gave him a salute and went on his way. Duo then spotted a man with gray hair and an eye patch that was wearing a velvet cape at the other end of the bridge. 

"Gundam Pilot 02, I'm surprised you made it past my guards." 

"So, I hear you're the boss around here." Duo played along with a smirk. 

"No, I'm not just the boss; I'm the boss to surpass Big Boss himself." 

"No! Duo, get away from there!"

Duo looked up in wonder as Snake had his helicopter hover in mid-air as he unloaded his M4 at Solidus, who dodged his first shots. His cape flew off and revealed his hard black power armor. 

"Haven't you figured it out by now brother? I'm a whole different game from Liquid!" He boasted as he jumped onto one of the large pipes below the bridge. 

Snake glared at him and loaded a grenade into his M203 grenade launcher. Snake launched the grenade. It exploded and sent Solidus flying downward toward the water. 

"Did I get him?" Snake asked to himself as the smoke was clearing. Snake got his answer with a loud screeching sound. 

"The world needs only one Big Boss!" Solidus declared, striding toward the cockpit of a fighter jet. "I'll drown you fools for interfering!" He said angrily as the cockpit closed. 

"Damn! It's the Harrier! DUO!" Snake called down. "This is the Stinger missile launcher." He said as he threw down a large case toward the former pilot of Deathscythe. The Kasatka can't stand up to the Harrier! You _have_ to shoot the Harrier down!" He called out as he threw Duo extra ammo. I'm counting on you!" 

Duo took the launcher out and loaded it as Snake got back into the cockpit of the helicopter and attempted to steer clear of the Harrier. Duo aimed toward the Harrier, but it was fast approaching, firing its cannon, and Duo had to take cover by the staircase. It screeched through the sky and turned around, releasing its chaff and flares to disrupt Duo's shot. The Harrier came over the building that led back to Shell 1 and released a cluster bomb. 

"DIE!" Solidus yelled as Duo ran under the platform, the many bombs exploding in fire and rocking the bridge to its foundation. 

Wufei's breathing became labored as he made his way on the Strut D-E connecting bridge, holding a torn piece of his shirt over the wound, since it was black one could not see the stain, but it was festering, and painful. The Shell shook as explosions were heard in the distance. 

The Harrier fired a couple of missiles at the bridge; twisted metal singed in heat was left after the smoke cleared. Duo had to give credit where it was due, Solidus was an excellent pilot. Duo climbed up the staircase and aimed the stinger at the Harrier, which was currently strafing. Finally, Duo got a lock on to the Harrier's right wing and fired the Stinger. The missile slammed into the wing, causing an orange glow with a split-second view of a blue tail behind it. 

"Damn!" Solidus shouted as his Harrier began to go down. 

Snake watched the seen suspiciously from his Kasatka. 

Suddenly, a high-pitched roar erupted and something sprang from the water. The Harrier was being held in the mouth of a mobile suit. 

"Metal Gear!" Duo called out. 

Snake's eyes widened as Metal Gear RAY's feet hit the water again, causing a huge splash. RAY roared and unleashed cluster bombs into the air, causing fireworks. Duo took cover. The Kasatka was hit in the tail. Snake grunted and made a mad dash to the helipad. Not good, Wufei had no time for repairs. 

"Otacon, you and Heero need to get over here faster than we thought, this Kasatka's been hit and Wufei doesn't have time for repairs. Sally, go with them so you can fly Wufei back." Snake ordered over the Codec. 

"Right, c'mon!" Otacon called to Heero and Sally as they made their way to their own Kasatka. 

"Vamp, GO!" Solidus called. 

Vamp exited the other seat of the Harrier and jumped down to the water. 

Duo got up and peered down at what was below him. "What the hell?! That thing's running on water!" 

Vamp ran across the water and up one of the pipes-vertically. 

"Duo, get back to the Strut E helipad, you're getting out of here." Snake called over the Codec. 

"Good." Duo muttered as he went back into Strut D. 

Wufei made his way up the stairs and collapsed onto the ground as Snake's Kasatka landed. Snake immediately got out and proceeded to check the wound of the panting Wufei. 

"That Ocelot is a good shot." Wufei grunted with a semblance of humor. 

Snake smirked. "You're not hit in any place important, but we've still gotta get that wound treated, and fast. Unfortunately, this chopper was hit, Otacon is coming with our own, Sally will be there to treat you, and Duo's on his way back here now." 

Wufei's eyes began to flutter, obviously trying to lose consciousness from the blood loss. 

"Wufei! I need you to stay with me!" Snake lightly smacked his cheek. 

"Damn, I hate that woman seeing me as such a weakling!" 

Snake smirked as he began to bind Wufei's wound to the best of his ability. 

"Snake...you're not gonna believe this, but I saw some guy decked out like a ninja, he held the terrorists off in the room with the hostages." 

"A ninja...?" 

"Yeah." Wufei winced as Snake tied the gauze he was carrying around Wufei's side quite tightly. "Hard exoskeleton armor and some sort of fancy sword. He...it deflected bullets with the blade." 

"Hmm..." Snake thought as he saw Duo running toward them. "Good job shooting taking that Harrier out."

Duo grinned. "I'm pretty damn good aren't I?" Duo's grin grew wider, if that was believable. "Solidus was a pretty good pilot, but nothing to Duo Maxwell, God of Death." When Duo opened his eyes he was greeted with a glare from Snake and Wufei angrily spitting out his last name. 

The tension was cut by the sound of a helicopter landing nearby. Otacon jumped out of the Kasatka and walked over to Snake. "Duo, Sally is waiting to take you back. Bring Wufei to the chopper." 

Duo nodded and picked Wufei up, to Wufei's slight embarrassment, and brought him over to the Kasatka, Sally immediately taking off to head back to the ship. 

"I dropped Heero off on the KL connecting bridge; he's heading to go get E.E..." Otacon trailed, knowing he would see his long-estranged sister again soon. 

Snake nodded. "You're not going to believe this..." 

"What? I've seen it all, like you Snake. Lay it on me." 

"Wufei said he saw some guy decked out like a ninja..." 

"A ninja? He wasn't delirious was he?" 

"I don't think so." 

"But he can't...Fox is..." 

"I know. Let's get started repairing this kamov. After that we'll make the necessary preparations in the computer room down in the core. Then I'll see if I can't find out who this ninja is..." 

Otacon nodded and got to work. 

Heero easily made his way down to the B1 level of the Shell Two Core, into Filtration Chamber Number One. He saw a figure sitting in a meditation position in the water. The figure smirked evilly and licked his lips. 

"I've been waiting for you..." He declared in a low voice as he withdrew a knife and dragged it across his chest.


	14. EE

Chapter 13: E.E.

Heero attempted the famous Heero Yuy 'Death Glare' on Vamp. Unlike usual, Vamp was not impressed or intimidated. "You survived my shots in Havana." Heero stated for no clear reason.

"Unfortunately, Hell had no vacancies."

Heero pointed his .45 at Vamp and fired, Vamp easily dodged.

"Human muscles are quite eloquent, they speak out clearly what a person's next move will be, including which direction a gun will be pointed."

Heero fired three more times, the last bullet grazing Vamp's cheek. He licked the blood off with an evil smirk and sat back down in the water.

"You're actions are meaningless. The girl is up ahead in Filtration Chamber Number Two but you're too late. This facility is armed with one Purified Hydrogen Bomb."

"Purified Hydrogen Bomb?"

"This is no normal nuclear weapon; it uses a core of purified plutonium to induce more efficient thermonuclear fusion, effectively magnifying the power by thousands of times."

Heero's eyes widened for a split second before he withdrew to his usual air of indifference, the very slight shock, however, was not unnoticed by Vamp, and he smirked.

"Don't plan on using it." Heero stated calmly. "You're insane."

"Insane? We might be the only ones telling the truth."

"Even though you're right to resent the Patriots, I still can't let you proceed with the strike."

Vampe sneered and withdrew a knife, signifying it was time to stop talking and begin their fight. He stood up and pointed at the water. "This water is very high in oxygen content, once you go in you don't come back up."

Vamp jumped out of the pool and stood on the ground behind it, his knife being held below his waist. Heero traced his movements and fired a .45 round from his SOCOM, a round that actually hit Vamp's chest. Vamp flipped toward the door that led toward Filtration Chamber Number Two and threw a knife at Heero, who shot it out of the air as Vamp jumped on top of the catwalk. He threw a succession of three knives at Heero, who jumped and rolled away from them. Vamp then jumped into the pool and swam, Heero waiting for him to come back up.

Vamp came up toward the left-north end of the room, and suddenly Heero had an idea. He broke out his stinger and shot a missile at Vamp. Vamp groaned and was knocked back into the water by the blast. Heero's eyes widened when he realized Vamp was still very much alive-and swimming.

Heero next took out a grenade and tossed it into the water. It exploded and Vamp came rocketing out back up onto the right catwalk. Vamp took several knives in his hand; Heero readied his M4 to combat them. He shot the knives out of the air and hit Vamp, just as he had done earlier in Havana.

Vamp jumped back into the water, and Heero threw another grenade. Vamp groaned and came up on the ground level, running at Heero with his knife behind him. Vamp made way to slash Heero across the middle, but Heero rolled out of Vamp's way. Vamp flipped to the other end of the room and ran toward Heero again, this time he was met with a well-timed kick from Heero to his chin.

Vamp grunted and flipped into the water again. He came out about a minute later and jumped all around, finally settling for a spot on the catwalk. He threw a barrage of knives at Heero, who fired them out of the air rapidly with his M4, and hit vamp about ten times in the chest. He fell into the pool in the center of the room. Vamp screamed a low tone of distress as he sunk into the pool, bloodied. Heero glared and watched him sink, never taking his M4 off of him.

Heero went toward the door and looked at the hallway in disbelief. The entire thing was flooded. He gave Snake a call on the Codec.

"Why didn't you tell me this place was flooded?"

"You never asked."

Heero scowled. "Anyway, what's the situation over there?"

"Snake and I are getting everything ready in the control room." Otacon said as he joined the conversation.

"Otacon, what happened between you and your sister anyway? I think that information may be necessary, seeing as I'm about to get her and bring her back to you."

Otacon sighed. "My father was drowning in our pool when we were kids...and Emma nearly drowned as well. Emma blamed me for not being there to save her and I was so saddened that I left. That's the condensed version."

"Hn." Heero replied with his trademark phrase as he processed the information. "All right, see you soon." He hung up and dove into the water, swimming for a few minutes and coming up for breath when the opportunity presented itself. Heero checked his Soliton radar with more vigor than ever before, for failure to do so would result in death.

Heero dove down and opened a door. What came out of the other side after he had finally managed it startled him. A dead body emerged, blood filling the water in its wake. Heero swam past a large fallen beam and came up for air. He dove down again and opened a door, swimming into a second hallway.

Being careful to avoid the mines that were strewn in the water, Heero eventually came across a staircase and went up them, coming out of the water. The door was marked 'Filtration Chamber Number Two.' He checked the radar and saw a life form in a locker. Heero approached and slowly opened the door.

The young woman inside gave a startled yelp as she looked up at Heero.

"Take it easy, I'm not a terrorist." Heero stated in his usual monotone. "Your brother, Hal sent me."

"...Hal?"

"Yes, he's here, and he needs your help. The terrorists are going to use Arsenal Gear to initiate a high-atmosphere nuclear strike to short-circuit all the electricity in New York. They are going to attempt to take it over. We need your help to disable the system and prevent the strike."

"W...I've been hiding here the whole time. I didn't know. If you want to disable Arsenal's AI, take this." Emma gave Heero a disc. "It's a digital counterpart to the FOXDIE virus. It's the only thing that will be able to disable GW."

Heero took the disc, turning it a couple of times over before putting it into his pocket.

"There, you have the disc. Now you can go back to my brother. Leave me alone now; I don't want to see him."

"Sorry, I can't do that." Heero stated gruffly. His mission was to take Emma down to the control room in the Shell 1 core, and that's exactly what he was going to do. "We have to leave now before this place completely floods."

"NO!" She screamed in terror. "I can't swim!"

"That's not what I've heard." Heero countered, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"No! I can't go into the water! It's going to consume me! That endless blue..."

Heero could tell then that the girl had aqua phobia. He had to think of a way to get her to go with him. Even with this disc in hand, there was always the possibility that something could go wrong, and they would need Emma to cover their bases.

Then there was Otacon, who Heero hated to admit, had become his friend, his bona fide friend, along with everyone else since this little soiree got started. Who he once considered allies and tentative acquaintances, he now considered friends.

"Ok. Emma, grab onto my back and I'll do the swimming. Close your eyes and count to one hundred and then we'll be on the other side. And really do keep your eyes closed. We'll be coming across a dead body on the way back and I don't think that's what you want to see."

"Oh...ok." Emma trailed as she climbed onto Heero's back.

The extra weight was not overburdening as he made his way out of the room and dove back into the water. He swam, avoiding mines and periodically coming up for oxygen, Emma's gasps being much more desperate than his own. Heero then came across the dead body of Stillman once again, and finally got back to Filtration Chamber Number One, where he had fought Vamp.

"We'll rest here for a little while."

Emma sat down and sighed. "So...Hal is really here?"

"Yes."

Emma sighed. "Hal and I were close as kids...we never really had any friends but at least we had each other. We used to always play house. You know, he was the husband and I was the wife. But it was just a game...we were only kids."

"Hn."

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"No." Heero grunted.

As if ignoring Heero's reply, Emma kept on talking. "But then Hal abandoned me and my mother when we needed him the most!" Emma stated angrily.

Suddenly, the Codec began to ring.

"Heero, what's your status?"

"Snake? I've got Emma. We're in Filtration Chamber Number One at the moment."

Emma jumped into the Codec conversation. "Hal...?"

"E.E.? Is that you?"

"You have a lot of nerve coming here!" Emma regained her composure.

"What?" Otacon asked in mild shock.

"Just why are you here? What's with all of this anti-Metal Gear stuff?"

"It's for peace E.E.! We have to come to terms with some of the mistakes we've made as a species. As scientists, we know the true danger of nuclear weapons and it is up to us to educate and prevent the disaster associated with them!"

Emma laughed haughtily. "Science and weapons have always co-existed Hal! The Manhattan Project was sponsored by universities and taking place in public laboratories!"

"But man and nuclear weapons cannot co-exist."

"Wrong Hal...wrong. You see, I do not accept Relena Peacecraft's ways. Her belief that peace is attained through giving up fighting is wrong. Peace can only be attained through fear. Mutual fear."

Hal was shocked at how cynical his sister had become as she continued her rant.

"All she is is a pretty face to satisfy old men with erectile dysfunction. If it wasn't for her we wouldn't even need to hide Arsenal."

"E.E. uhh...there's something you should know about Relena Peacecraft, especially if you are going to insult her."

"Oh? What is that?" Emma asked angrily.

"Heero is her boyfriend."

"What...?" Emma asked as she looked toward Heero, only to receive his famous death glare. "Uh..." She shrunk.

"All right." Snake cut back in. "That's enough."

The Codec call ended. Heero continued, however, to give Emma the glare. After all, she had just insulted the woman he loved.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"C'mon. We have to go now." Heero managed to say it without clenching his teeth.

"But wait...I've been drugged. My legs..."

Heero was really getting annoyed now. He seriously contemplated knocking this troublesome little thing out and carrying her there. That meant hurting her. It would upset Otacon, which was fine. He could deal with that. But upsetting Otacon meant angering Snake...a somewhat dicey proposition.

Heero did the only thing he could; he grabbed the girl's hand and walked out.

A painstakingly long walk later, Heero was back on the K-L connecting bridge. He had thrown a chaff grenade to fend off being spotted by any Cyphers, and carefully tranquilized any sentries that were wandering too close to his position.

Heero saw that part of the bridge was on fire. He used the coolant that Trowa had given him back on the ship to partially put it out, allowing him and Emma to pass. At first he had been skeptical of the coolant's necessity, but now was thankful that Trowa had insisted he take it. There was no such thing as being too cautious.

Heero opened the door to Strut L and took Emma inside. Otacon had instructed him to use the Strut L oil fence to get back to Shell 1 as the Shell 1-2 connecting bridge was out of commission. Heero opened up a trap door in the floor, revealing a very long ladder.

"This thing's about 140 feet to the ground. Are your legs ok, Emma?"

"Yeah...I think I'm fine now."

"Ok, you're not afraid of heights are you?"

"I can't say I like heights, but water's bigger on my phobia list...why?"

"I need you to climb down this ladder. I'll be right behind you."

"Will you take no for an answer?"

"No." Heero and Emma both said at the same time.

Emma slowly and reluctantly began to climb down the ladder, Heero hot on her heels. Once they finally reached the ground, Heero stopped her from continuing and scanned the area with his scope, revealing the oil fence...and many enemy sentries.

"Emma, how much do you weigh?"

"Are you gonna ask me how old I am next?"

Heero scowled at this annoying creature. "You need to cross the oil fence alone. I'll cover you with sniper fire and meet you on the other side."

Emma sighed as she began to walk toward the bridge.

Heero got a call on the Codec.

"Heero, it's Snake, I'm on my way to Strut E to assist you. Hold out until I get there."

"Roger that."

Heero immediately got to work, shooting claymore mines that were planted on the bridge before Emma stepped on one of them. Heero's next target was an enemy soldier who spotted Emma.

Head shot. The enemy died instantly, blood spurting from his head.

Heero took out two more enemy sentries, and then began to pick off Cyphers with weapons attached at their bottoms.

Emma made it to the first post on the oil fence, and began circling to begin her second crossing. Heero took out two enemy sentries that were stationed on the third post, headshots both.

Emma stepped onto the second leg of the fence, Heero blowing up a Cypher just as she stepped onto the bridge. Heero immediately after changed his sights on an enemy sentry, who moved just as he pulled the trigger, the result being that the 7.62mm round from the PSG-1 bullet hit him in the chest. The enemy soldier staggered and fell off the post, hurtling into the water with a scream.

Heero then received a Codec call.

"Heero, I'm in position, tell me when you need me to shoot." Snake said.

"Which would be right now, it's getting kind of hot."

"All right, I'll show you how sniping is done." Snake said confidently.

Heero smirked as the call ended. He took out a Cypher, then, set his sights on an enemy soldier. He did not get to fire as his head exploded in a crimson shower, a well-aimed shot from Snake. Snake and Heero continued swatting any enemy-man or machine that popped up around the oil fence.

Then something came out of the water. It back flipped toward Emma.

Heero instantly recognize the person as he held Emma hostage with a knife-Vamp. This would be a hard shot.

Heero carefully and deliberately fired upon Vamp's chest-a headshot was impossible as there was too great a chance of hitting Emma.

Vamp grunted as his chest was hit, moving-and moving Emma along with him-which exposed his head. Heero quickly but carefully took the shot. The bullet hit Vamp. Blood spurted from his head as he fell into the water. Emma's face looked exhausted as she stumbled across the fence.

Emma gave a blood curling scream and collapsed, her shirt was becoming dyed with crimson. Snake immediately got up and ran toward her, shooting two Cyphers out of the sky as he did so.

Snake checked her wounds and pulse, causing the oil fence to wobble under their collective weight. Heero gazed in wonder at what was wrong. Seconds later, he saw Snake carrying Emma away. He received a Codec call, the frequency was 141.80.

"Heero, Emma's been stabbed."

"That bastard!" He growled.

"How bad is it?!" Otacon entered the conversation.

"She's conscious, but the bleeding's bad. I'm bringing her over there now. Heero, bring that disc she gave you over as soon as possible. I don't think she has much time!"

"I'm on my way over."

Heero ended the call and ran as fast as he could over the oil fence, not caring that it was shaking violently. He soon emerged from a ladder in the Strut E Parcel Room.

"Snake, what's going on over there?" He asked via Codec.

"Emma seems to be doing...something to GW's defensive capabilities. We just need the disc. You better hurry, I don't think she's gonna make it."

"Hn." Heero grunted as the Codec call ended.

Heero got through the Big Shell easily. Security was at a minimum since everyone was aboard Arsenal. All that he saw was one sentry, who he quickly tranquilized, and three Cyphers on the D-E connecting bridge, which he took care of with his .45.

Heero called Snake to check in as he prepared to cross the bridge leading to the Shell 1 Core.

"How's Emma?"

"Not very good. I can't do a detailed examination here, but it looks like the damage to Emma's muscle tissue is equal to the actual size of the wound." Snake said the last part somberly.

"That means there's the possibility of intestinal damage..." Heero trailed.

"Yeah...she's also bleeding bad, losing blood pressure. She needs abdominal surgery, but this ain't the place to do it! She's running out of time! We have to hurry!"

Heero did indeed hurry across the bridge as the Codec call ended. He hurriedly pushed the down button on the elevator as he got into the core. As soon as the doors opened on level B2 he rushed into the control room.

Snake slowly got up from Emma's side and walked toward Heero as he saw him from the corner of his eye.

"How is she?" Heero asked.

"He definitely got some internal organs. We can't stop the bleeding."

The two men looked at Otacon tending to his sister.

"H...Hal?"

He grabbed her hand. "I'm here..."

"Got the disc?" Snake asked.

Heero nodded as he handed the disc to Snake.

"Emma's already set everything up. Apparently all you need to do is pop in the disc."

Snake and Heero walked toward the computer and inserted the disc.

"Uh...that should put the virus into the AI."

After a few seconds, the computer beeped and showed a yellow bar.

"What the?!" Snake said in surprise.

"An antibody agent?" Otacon asked as he looked up at the monitor.

"Damn! The connection's been cut!" Snake yelled and slammed his fist on the table after a few more beeps.

"The virus stopped at ninety percent?!" Heero yelled.

"Otacon...?" Snake looked back at him.

"I don't think Emma's made any mistakes. It could have been altered after the disc left Emma's hands."

"Will the virus still work?!" Snake gruffly asked.

"I have no idea..." Otacon trailed.

"Hal...is...is everything all right?"

Snake frowned and shook his head.

"Uh...it's all right. Everything's all right." Otacon assured.

"Good...at least I won't be another link in our family's dark legacy." The dying woman stated quietly.

"What now?" Heero asked Snake.

"Either destroy that thing, or take out Solidus and his men."

"Hal...I...I...always…."

"What is it?" Otacon asked as she put her hand on his face.

"...Wanted to see you again."

"You don't hate me?"

"Never. I just never wanted to get in your way. I thought that I'd be following in your footsteps with Arsenal...I thought I'd be closer. I just wanted you to see me as...as a woman."

"E.E. you'd never get in my way."

"Don't be so honest...it hurts..."

"Sorry..."

"Hal...can I ask you a favor...?"

"What is it?"

"Call me...call me...Emma. Please call me Emma..." She said as she tried to keep her hand close to Hal's face.

"What's wrong with E.E.?" Hal said sadly, with tears in his eyes as she took off his glasses.

Emma's arms then dropped to the floor, the glasses clanged, making her lifelessness more apparent.

"Emma? Emma?! Answer me!" He cried as he tried to uselessly fight what had already passed. Otacon then broke down into sobs, Snake and Heero looked down in sadness, and Heero was surprised that his eyes began to get watery. He had seen death, oh; he had seen death, more than anyone else in the Earth-Sphere, perhaps only with the exception of Snake (who only owed it by virtue of his being fifteen years older, Heero was sure). But he had never seen death like this. Death that was so...personal.

Otacon went on his guilt trip then. "I didn't...I didn't leave you because of the accident. I had...I had a relationship with your mother. She seduced me. And it went on. My father's death was no accident. He took his own life. It was my fault! All my fault! Forgive me Emma." He broke down in sobs again.

Heero had never expected this. Otacon had much more personal demons than he could have ever thought imaginable.

"Hal..." Heero's train of thought was interrupted by the parrot in the control room that he had not noticed before. Otacon closed his sister's eyes and went to free the bird. "Hal..."

Otacon sobbed again.

"Attention! Arsenal Gear is ready for launch!" The radio boomed. "Evacuate the upper levels immediately!"

"Sounds like their cutting this area loose." Snake observed.

"They're gonna sink us..." Heero stated.

"We have to get the hostages out!" Snake said.

"Kamov repairs?" Heero asked.

"Done." Otacon answered immediately.

"It's gonna be a tough to get them all onboard." Heero said.

"We'll just have to take as many as we can." Snake replied.

"My sister...won't be able to come with us." Otacon said sadly. "I'm always the survivor...why, Wolf?"

Snake closed his eyes as the memories of Shadow Moses, and particularly Sniper Wolf, returned. "Otacon, take care of the hostages." Snake ordered as he regained his composure.

"What about you guys?"

"We've got other arrangements, there's our ride out of here!" Snake pointed at the large door outside the room. "We'll have to sink that thing if the virus doesn't work."

"I should be going with you."

Snake's face sobered as he walked over to his friend. "You've got your job, we've got ours."

"You mean...I'd only get in your way."

"Wrong." Snake declared as he put his hands on Otacon's shoulders. "Only you can save those hostages, got it?" He shook Otacon for good measure.

"Right." Otacon regained some semblance of composure. "Listen, you guys won't be able to destroy that thing." He went on as he began to walk away. "Eliminate the enemy, that's your only option."

Snake's face hardened as he followed his friend out, Heero following hot on Snake's heels, determination in his Prussian blues.

The three stopped at the large door as the parrot spoke again. "Hal."

"E.E.? DAMN!" Otacon said in sadness as he banged his head on the hard metal.

"Otacon!" Snake put a hand on his shoulder and peered at him. "Try and get as many hostages out as you can. It's a short flight to the shore so don't worry about overloading the Kamov."

Otacon turned toward Snake. "...Leave it to me." He choked.

Heero saw the two of them engage in an odd sort combination of high-fives and handshakes that ended in a hug.

The alarm then began to go off.

"I'm counting on you, Otacon." Snake said as he sent him off.

Otacon slowly walked up the stairs as the parrot kept saying "Hal...I miss...you." Otacon fell down in sobs once more.

"You and me...we're the same. Both you and I...we were always alone. We only wanted to be loved. We were always waiting for somebody who would love us, but we were wrong. You can't just wish to be loved and have a happy family...you have to go out and find it. I learned that...as you probably did.

"You think he'll be ok?" Heero asked back in the control room.

"He's tougher than he looks, consider it done." Snake said as he handed Heero the disc.

Heero looked over the doorway to Arsenal. His face got grittier, ready for a fight as he realized Relena had to be in there, they had looked in every other place, and he would do anything he had to in order to get her back.

"Heero." His thoughts were interrupted by Snake. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What?" He asked as he pondered what Snake could possibly be up to.

"The only way to get access to Arsenal is for someone inside to give us a hand. I've contacted that person. But I need you to be captured by my contact."

"WHAT?!"

"I need a diversion to get into the proper position. My contact will free you shortly. Judging by your history, especially that time you self-detonated your Gundam, I thought you'd be up to it."

Heero scowled. Duo really did talk too much, not that he had a problem with Snake knowing, but still, he would have to have a 'word' with 'the God of Death' once he saw him again.

His thoughts were interrupted by something jumping down.

"A ninja?! What the hell...?"

"Arsenal's going to take off. Are you ready?"

Heero sighed, stopping Solidus was his mission, and besides, he remembered his vow to do anything to get Relena back.

"Ready." He stated emotionlessly.

The ninja allowed its face to be seen as it unsheathed its sword.

Heero recognized the woman that was revealed. Olga Gurlukovich, the leader of the very terrorist army they'd been facing.

"Ready for some shut-eye?" She said with some insult as she slammed the sword into Heero's side, sending a jolt of electricity through his armor.

The last thing Heero remembered before going out was Snake standing behind Olga with his arms crossed.


	15. Alert

**A/N:** Warning: this is, by far, the bloodiest and most violent chapter in the story. Just givin you the heads up.

Chapter 14: Alert

Otacon took off in the Kasatka, seeing and hearing the crashes of the Big Shell's collapse.

Arsenal Gear, in its majesty, emerged from the sea and headed toward the city.

"Is he still alive?"

"He was when Olga brought him in. I've checked everything including the Genome data, but there's nothing on this guy. Preventers, Unified Army, police forces, this guy doesn't exist."

"I expected as much, those Gundam scientists were rather good, but you and I both know this man."

Ocelot laughed.

"Wake him up."

A few seconds later, Heero emerged, finally conscious.

"We meet face-to-face at last, Heero Yuy." Solidus said. "It's a shame that two great warriors such as us need be opposing one another. You're outstanding kill record during the last war is quite impressive. Really, it's a shame you and your friends decided not to join me. We're really the same...you and I."

Heero grunted. His eyes were still beginning to come back to him.

"So, what should we do with him?" Ocelot asked.

"We'll use him like you suggested."

"What about Dead Cell?"

"Ignore them."

Ocelot's arm began to act on him again, earning a curious glare from Heero's hard eyes.

"Happening again?" Solidus asked.

"Could it be that he's here too?"

"Hmph." Solidus instantly responded. "In another hour we demonstrate the power of Arsenal Gear."

Heero's eyes instantly widened. This madness had to be stopped!

"Attack with standard weapons of course?" Ocelot responded.

"Yes, proceed as planned."

"At last report all is well with GW."

Great, Heero thought, the virus didn't work.

"How about the troops?"

"The men are being refitted with Arsenal Gear equipment as ordered." Ocelot turned around and looked at Solidus. "You're the spitting image of Big Boss."

Solidus laughed. "Is that so? Perhaps I should be grateful to this kid for that!" Solidus looked amused as he walked out.

"This situation...I find it very nostalgic."

Heero gave Ocelot the biggest, most hate-filled Death Glare he had ever given anyone. This was the man who kidnapped Relena in the first place.

"You know, in addition to being in Arsenal Gear, we're also inside the memory of Shadow Moses." Ocelot continued to talk, not at all intimidated by the glare.

Behind the glare, Heero wondered what the hell this bastard meant.

"I'll take this." Ocelot brought the disc out. "You don't need this anymore, do you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Heero saw Olga Gurlukovich, Snake's contact.

"A foul wind is blowing, we shall speak again." Ocelot prepared to leave.

"Where's Relena?" Heero growled through clenched teeth.

Ocelot laughed wildly as the sliding doors closed behind him.

"Don't move...stay as you are." Olga ordered after she was sure Ocelot was a safe distance away. "We're being monitored. Switch over to nanocommunication."

Heero did as instructed.

"So, you're the ninja?"

"Correct."

"I thought you were in command of the terrorist army."

"No, that was just a smokescreen. I was sent to provide you and your friends support."

"By who?"

"The Patriots."

"What the hell...why would they want to support us?!"

"I betrayed my troops."

"Why?" Heero growled, he wanted to know just what the hell was going on here.

"My child is...being held hostage by the Patriots. Ever since the Tanker Incident and the death of my father, my men and I had nowhere to go. Finally, five years later, we joined forces with an illegal Russian organization...I was expecting at the time. Actually, I learned much later that it was a subordinate organization of the Patriots." She said the last word disdainfully. "When I gave birth, it turned out I was in a hospital run by the Patriots. In the morning...my child was gone, he is being held somewhere in this country."

Heero's eyes softened somewhat. This just might be the day he showed more emotion than ever in his life. "Have you ever met your child?"

"No. Once a month they send me a photo of my child via network. I've never even held him in my own arms."

"Hn. What else could have done but what you did? What about Snake, I thought you were enemies?"

"He wasn't responsible for my father's death. Actually, we owe him our lives. Seven years ago, he got us out of the sinking tanker alive."

"Wait, so you've been an ally of his this entire time?"

"No, I only found out the truth shortly before this...when I confronted him here."

"The two of you fought? When was that?"

"Well...around the time you were holding hands with that girl."

"So you joined him to pay him back?"

"No. Mutual gain. My job is to assist you all. If Solidus gets away with Arsenal, your mission will be a failure. The Patriots would judge that as failure on my part and terminate my child."

"Hm...but still, why would the Patriots help us? What are they hoping for? Last I remembered, Solidus is their chosen president."

Olga laughed. "No, we're all just being used as pawns. You've fallen into their trap."

Heero growled. "For what?"

"The S3 Plan."

"S3 Plan?"

"You'll figure it out sooner or later, but I wonder if you'll handle the truth? Anyway, we haven't got time for this. Solidus will commence his attack any minute."

That woke Heero up from his trying to figure everything out.

"Did the virus work?"

"No results so far, the Patriots may have tampered with the program."

"Get me out of here."

"Not yet, I'll release you after I leave this room."

"Where's my gear?"

"Snake's got everything, I couldn't bring it here."

"And where is he?"

"The passage ahead will lead you to a hanger, he's waiting there."

"Is he planning for us to destroy Arsenal Gear?"

"No, even for Snake, it's impossible to completely destroy this thing. The only option is to stop Solidus and his men."

"And I assume you'll stay concealed, and let us do the dirty work."

"Correct. That's my role."

Olga punched Heero in the stomach as she left the room. Heero didn't care, it had to look natural. 'Where is Relena? Where is Relena?' Was the question that kept popping into his head, even ahead of what was really going on there.

Suddenly, his restraints were released and he was walking around Arsenal Gear naked.

Heero snuck around Arsenal, getting past guards, sometimes banging on things to draw their attention, etc. He snuck up behind one guard upstairs and kicked him to the ground below, then ran into the hanger. He ran south down the hallway, that door was locked. So he began running north.

"Amazing how you walk around like that." A deep voice sounded out behind Heero's back. "But then again, you've done that before, haven't you?"

"Snake." Heero turned around.

"Been waiting long?" Snake emerged fully from the shadows.

"I'll let you know that in Sardinia I was high on that damn Sodium thiopental. Now, it's just embarrassing." Heero's eyes narrowed. "Where's my gear?"

Snake simply pointed behind him. Heero opened the case and quickly was armed and ready again.

"That's more like it." Snake stated. He then gave a hand signal to switch over to the Codec and Heero complied. "Sorry about that...it was the only way to get inside. It worked."

"Why didn't you tell me about Olga?"

"You never asked."

Heero scowled.

"Not happy about that? Get over it."

"Is the virus doing anything yet?"

"Still waiting on that. Looks like it was altered by the Patriots, and from what I can tell, Arsenal is headed toward Manhattan. I don't know what Solidus is planning but we'll have to deal with it one way or another. There's also a troop of production model Mobile Doll RAY's ahead."

"What? How many units?" Heero asked in surprise.

"Twenty-five, according to Olga. Can't say I've faced that many Metal Gears before, but we'll deal with it. We don't have any other choice."

"Hn." Heero nodded in agreement. "We've stocked up on Stinger missiles."

"By the way, Olga left this for you."

Snake presented Heero with a high-frequency cutting blade, which left him looking at Snake in wonder.

"Don't ask, she asked me to give it to you, besides, I'm not a big fan of blades."

After Heero practiced with the sword for a few minutes, he put it away, satisfied. He was an adept fencer, always had been.

"Snake...Relena has to be here, right?"

"Well...this is the only place we haven't looked. She'll turn up."

Heero nodded; somehow, he felt a relief that Snake thought so, too.

"C'mon, time to go." Snake said to Heero as he walked forward. "If you run out of ammo, you can have mine, don't ask, I've got enough."

"Wait a minute Snake."

"What?" Snake asked as he turned around and received an incoming Codec call.

"Snake...I need to ask you, have you ever enjoyed killing someone?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Solidus brought up my kill record in the war, I swear those faces still haunt me. Sometimes it really is hard to tell what's real and what isn't."

"Diminished sense of reality? Fighting in a mobile suit will do that, especially with that ZERO system you used to use."

"What?" Heero asked.

"I never liked fighting in mobile suits. Sure, I know how to do it, but to me, war isn't real unless you look your enemy straight in the eye and watch him die before you. Any other type of war just seems to make the whole thing too casual and routine. I guess that's why I didn't fight in the Eve Wars."

"I can't help but think that my existence is a mistake. Solidus was right. Am I really better than him?"

"Heero, we don't carry guns to take people down, we're not in this to help some politician either."

"What about Relena?"

Snake's eyes widened. "Ok, so we're in this to help _one_ politician."

Heero smirked but then sobered. "You can say all of this because you're legend, a hero, _my_ hero."

"Legends don't mean a whole lot; I was just a name to exploit, just like you and the other Gundam pilots." Heero looked on in wonder. "Listen, there's no right part in murder, not _ever_, and we're not in this to make a name for ourselves."

"Than what have you and Otacon been fighting for all this time?"

"The same thing you have kid...a future. That's the reason we're here together now. You've always fought for a future. You have done nothing wrong. You never were part of the mistake."

Heero suddenly felt right again. "I see. It's all making sense now."

"All right then, let's get a move on."

Heero grinned and followed Snake, feeling confident again. They would take care of this, stop Solidus. Heero was known to many as 'the Perfect Soldier,' but the man he was walking behind was more than that. Heero felt honored to be following this legendary warrior...this modern Achilles, into battle. They drew their M4s. Soon, a Codec call from Otacon came to their ears.

"Snake, Heero."

"Otacon, you all right?" Snake asked.

"Yeah. So are all the hostages."

"That's good news." Heero said.

"How's everything on your end?" Otacon asked.

"We're fine." Heero responded.

"All right, see you guys later." Otacon hung up.

"There's a door at the north end of this corridor. Security will be tight, we'll rush it!" Snake said as he hung up.

Heero and Snake then looked up to see a Cypher. It spotted them. The alarm rang out, the codec showing the word 'ALERT' in red, giving Snake's prediction of tight security a loud confirmation.

Solidus' men began to pour out from every nook and cranny.

Snake immediately opened up with his M4, causing some of Solidus' men to take cover, but many more fired right back. Heero broke out the PSG-1 he was carrying and looked to take out the two soldiers that were on a balcony in front of them. Heero fired once, hitting his target's knee, the second hit his upper leg, and the third shot hit his groin. The place where his penis once was exploded in a pool of blood and he fell to the floor to die a painful death.

First target eliminated. Now for the second.

"Follow me!" Snake said as Heero was still using his PSG-1.

The second soldier on the balcony was much easier to take out than the first. Heero got an instant kill with a headshot as Snake ran to take cover.

Heero hit an enemy firing upon Snake with another headshot. He fell down in a bloody splash. He aimed at another enemy soldier, but he retreated behind cover.

No more sniping. Time to break out the M4.

And that's exactly what Heero did as he moved to take cover behind a barrier across from Snake. He stepped out and fired a burst at an enemy soldier who was kneeling, lining up his sights. He went down in a pool of blood around his chest; an unfortunate comrade joined him in a similar fashion a few seconds later. Heero then ran to the next barrier, avoiding the fire an enemy soldier directed his way.

Snake easily picked him off with his M4 and came over to join Heero. They ran toward the end of the room, stopping to deal with four enemy soldiers, two with guns and another two with high-frequency blades. Heero took out the two gunners as Snake fired his pistol at a swordsman threatening Heero, the 9mm rounds plowing into his back, causing blood to spurt forward.

"Where did you learn to fire that pistol so fast?!" Heero asked in amazement.

"Around." Snake grunted as he and Heero made way to deal with the second swordsman.

Heero poured an M4 clip at him, too fast for the swordsman to deflect the bullets and he went down in a trail of blood. Next Heero fired a few rounds into the chest of another enemy on the balcony, killing him quickly. Snake speedily took out his comrade.

"Get in there!" Snake yelled as Heero rushed forward toward the next obstacle. Heero peered out and killed an enemy soldier taking shots at him, Snake covering him with his pistol.

Two enemy soldiers appeared on the next balcony. A three round burst from Heero into the first one's neck and head silenced him, while an M4 burst from Snake peppered the other one's chest as he stumbled back and fell off. Snake then, almost at the same time, took out an enemy soldier on the ground below the balcony.

Where did Snake learn to shoot so fast?! Heero resolved himself to find out.

"Follow me!" Snake commanded again as he fired another burst from his M4, killing yet another enemy foolish enough to fire at him.

A swordsman appeared behind Heero, who quickly bashed his enemy with his rifle butt and then fired a burst into his chest, spraying blood in all directions as he went down in a spin.

Another swordsman appeared behind Snake, but did not get to take a swipe, as the legendary soldier treated him in a similar fashion.

As Heero and Snake approached the door at the end of the hall, swordsmen appeared, almost surrounding them, but Snake's quick trigger finger didn't even give them time to deflect his bullets as Heero ran at the end of the room and took out the enemies jumping down from the balcony before they could fire their rifles.

The end of the room was quickly becoming drenched in blood.

Snake fired up, killing enemies that appeared on the balcony to the left of the door. When one approached from the stairs, Snake shot him once, but needed to reload. Heero quickly stole Snake's kill.

Meanwhile, three enemies with rifles tried to pincer Snake, but he was way too fast and left all three of them in bloody heaps on the floor.

As Snake turned to engage another one of Solidus' soldiers who appeared on the stairs, Heero swiped away another rifleman who appeared by the door. Two more came down in the same place as another two approached from an opposite direction. Heero took the two by the door while Snake shot the other two.

Finally, the door opened.

The two entered a small room and took a short breather.

"There's a ladder on the north side. According to Olga, the enemy is beyond that point. Let's move out!" Snake said over the Codec.

That meant that Relena was also beyond that point.

Heero's face grimace as he and Snake walked into the next room, cautiously approaching the ladder.

Suddenly, a group of enemies jumped down out of seemingly nowhere, surrounding him and Snake. Heero's face grimaced as he felt Snake back up against him. Relena was just up that ladder. He was not going to let these guys get in his way. He gave them the Death Glare and pulled out his pistol.

He shot the first enemy he saw three times in the back, the last round hitting the back of his target's neck, spurting blood upward as he himself fell to his knees and then dead to the floor. Heero put his pistol away and took out his M4. Snake was firing away toward the other end of the room.

A swordsman swiped at Heero, but missed, and Heero made him pay for his mistake. The flurry of M4 rounds took his enemy's life away. Heero ran up to another swordsman, bashed him with the rifle butt, and shot him, then quickly took out an enemy rifleman shooting at him from behind.

He and Snake together fired upon an enemy swordsman, quickly cutting him down in two places. Blood flooded from both wounds. Snake fired upon a swordsman approaching Heero's backside and split his windpipe as Heero ran to deal with enemies on the other side of the room. Two enemies jumped down and Heero swatted them away with a burst of the 5.56mm bullets that spurted from his M4.

Snake took care of his targets in a similar fashion on the other side of the room. Heero next did the usual routine of bashing a swordsman and then pouring lead into his body. He could hear Snake knock out an enemy with a thunderous kick to the head.

A swordsman jumped at Snake from the other side of the room. Heero took him out before he could do any damage. Snake nodded his thanks and poured another burst into an enemy rifleman, making blood erupt from his chest as he fell down to the floor lifeless.

Snake moved from target to target, laying crimson markers and corpses in his wake. More and more bodies were being strewn as they etched their names onto the list of casualties of those opposing Solid Snake.

Heero Yuy was rapidly adding to his own casualty list.

Again a swordsman jumped down at the pair. Heero and Snake overwhelmed him with a hail of lead to the point that his corpse was unrecognizable.

Heero then did a jumping kick at an enemy swordsman straying too close to the edge of the room. He tumbled over the balcony railing and fell with a scream. The earth's gravity would make short work of what was left of his life. Heero then re-directed his fire at two approaching enemy riflemen. He did not miss.

Snake killed another enemy swordsman and approaching rifleman, rapidly using up his pistol magazine.

Heero scored two more kills in the meantime.

Snake quickly took care of any enemy who dared jump down on the other side of the room with his accurate and deadly fire. He then overwhelmed an enemy swordsman as Heero split open a rifleman firing upon Snake. Snake shot at troops coming down near him, causing crimson fountains to burst in front of his face.

Heero in the meantime avoided a swordsman that jumped at him and peppered his back with M4 rounds. An enemy rifleman then jumped down and attempted to aim at Heero, but Heero quickly ended his life.

Snake easily overwhelmed a swordsman's ability to deflect his bullets and then split open a rifleman attempting to shoot at him on the other side of the room.

Heero killed two swordsmen as Snake took care of the riflemen as he ran to the other side of the room.

Heero shot two riflemen, grabbed the ammo that Snake threw at him as they passed each other, and delivered a kick to another swordsman straying too close to the balcony, letting him fall to his death as Snake ran up behind Heero and took out enemies that were shooting at him.

Snake killed another swordsman while Heero took out a pair of riflemen near the entrance to the room. Their bullets converged on an enemy who tried to cross the room, splitting him open in two different places and causing blood to burst out from his falling form.

Two riflemen appeared facing Snake in opposite directions, Heero killed them both.

No more of Solidus' troops came down. Were they at last done? The two hesitantly lowered their weapons.

Then footsteps were heard.

Snake and Heero quickly raised their weapons and pointed it at the person who just entered the room.

The woman had been crying. The door closed behind her.

"Fortune." Heero stated.

"It's been a long wait, Solid Snake- the root of all my sorrows." She accusingly pointed at him.

"What?" Snake asked skeptically.

"Seven years ago you killed my father. That was the beginning of _hell_ for us. Everyone I love has been taken from me one by one and now matter how hard I try, I can't follow them. An endless nightmare...the only thing we live for is to see it end."

"You're not serious about firing the nuke." Heero stated in his monotone with a glare.

"Since no one can kill me, I may as well kill everyone I can." Fortune stated back in her own monotone. "Starting with you, Solid Snake!" Fortune's tone angered as she raised her rail gun.

Heero growled and pointed his gun at her.

"Looks like I'm today's pick, you go on ahead." Snake motioned to Heero with his head.

Heero backed away slowly toward the ladder, Snake backing up slightly himself to give Heero cover.

"You want eternal rest?" Snake asked. "I've got it right here."

He and fortune glared at each other over their guns.

"Bullets cant get near her." Heero stated in warning as he put his first foot on the ladder.

"I'll think of something, there's no such thing as a witch." Snake stated without turning his head.

"You think you can kill me?"

"I don't know what your group's been through, but let's get one thing clear: I didn't kill your father."

"Do you think anyone believes your lies?!" Fortune stated rather than asked in a very angry tone.

"Heero, get out of here!" Snake ordered.

Heero climbed the ladder fast as he heard Snake's war cry, followed by the sound of an M4 going off along with Fortune's rail gun.

**A/N:** I wasn't lying about the violence.

At any rate, the end of this fic is very much in sight (there are only three chapters left), and as such, I've been working on my new fic, _Liberty or Death._ But I will probably have this fic done sometime in March. In the next chapter, all of the mysteries of the past seven years will be revealed. Stay tuned.

Please review!


	16. Engima Untangled

**A/N:** I couldn't wait to write this chapter. This is what I had in mind from the very beginning, as this one explains the cause of everything in the fic. I would greatly appreciate reviews for this chapter above all others, so could you please? You'll get…uhhh cookies?

Chapter 15: Enigma Untangled 

Heero emerged from the ladder, onto what appeared to be the roof of Arsenal Gear. He instantly noted the weird floor pattern. Suddenly, a booming voice erupted from seemingly nowhere. 

"Hello, Heero Yuy. I am impressed you've made it this far. Clearly, you are a worthy warrior. I admire you greatly. I wonder if your killing ability is one of the S3 plan's proud achievements." 

"Where the hell are you Solidus?!" Heero growled. 

"It came as a complete surprise when Ocelot discovered the S3 data from GW. Not a bad idea though-using fire to fight fire, bringing a Gundam pilot here to retire Solid Snake's brother. S3 stands for 'Solid Snake Simulation.' It's a development program to mold even 'Perfect Soldiers' like you into something even greater- Solid Snake, the ultimate warrior! I'm sorry to see you again reduced to one of the Patriot's puppets. But I've made use of you...and their plan too. Solid Snake's emergence from the dead-his alliance with the Peacecrafts and you Gundam pilots- it was obvious that the Patriots were among my ranks. I had to smoke out the agent before the mission entered the final phase. You came in handy- as bait. Heero, for warriors like us- every day is absolute, split between life and death. You attempted to run from it, and now you've been lead back to war by something less than real." 

Heero's eyes darted to his left as Solidus suddenly emerged in front of a trail of fire. 

"Solidus! Where's Relena?!" 

"What are you talking about, kid?" 

"What did you do with her?!" 

Solidus laughed. "You think I was the one who kidnapped that annoying girl?!" He laughed again. "Sorry kid, she isn't here." 

Heero went white. 

"No more games Heero, at least you know. There's no reason to keep you alive now." 

Heero glared and pointed his M4 at Solidus, but was soon interrupted by loud bangs. 

"I've given you a worthy opponent at least." Solidus pointed as Heero stared at the incoming Metal Gear RAYs. "But now, its time for you to die." 

Heero realigned his sight back to Solidus but he could not fire as he slipped away. 

The RAYs looked down upon him and Heero stepped back as the central one bent down and opened its rather large mouth. 

Heero's instincts instantly kicked in and he fired a Stinger into its mouth. The Mobile Doll RAY controlled by GW staggered back. Heero then fired into the RAY's leg and hit its face-sending it staggering back in severe damage as another RAY came to replace it. The RAY on the left fired it machine gun, Heero flipped and rolled to dodge the bullets, the tracer fire making his danger much more apparent. Heero looked up to see the RAY in the center launching missiles. He ran and jumped, narrowly avoiding being hit by the explosion. 

This was intense. 

Heero steadied the stinger and shot at the RAY on the right's leg. It knelt and Heero then hit it in the mouth. Then his targeted RAY jumped into the center right in front of him, with the other two RAYs flanking him on the left and right. The center RAY shot at him with its machine gun while the left RAY launched missiles at him. Heero jumped and dodged, managing to avoid them all. 

He was never more grateful to Dr. J for his flexibility training. 

The center RAY then fired two missiles right in front of Heero's face. It was pure instinct and adrenaline that allowed him to dive through the center and allow the missiles to explode behind him. Heero got up on one knee and finally finished this troublesome Metal Gear off. 

Heero could swear that these Metal Gears were crying like living beings would, and he swore that they were leaking blood. 

Heero fired the Stinger seemingly innumerable times; his latest target stumbled back and fell into the sea. He could see a troop of RAYs walking to surround him. At this point he knew something had to give. 

"I wish I had Wing Zero..." Heero stated with exhaustion. 

"I expected a little more fight from a Gundam pilot." Solidus' voice boomed condescendingly. 

Heero stumbled to his feet as a RAY attempted to step on him. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the air. 

Olga. 

"So you've decided to show yourself." Solidus boomed again as the RAY retracted its foot. 

"Olga! What the hell are you doing?!" Heero growled. 

"I'll hold them off, give you time to get away." 

"You're gonna hold them off with only a Beretta?!" Olga...are you crazy?!" 

"The Patriots are monitoring everything. If they see you die, they will kill my child, don't you understand?" 

"..." 

"I see, so that's why you sold your troops out to me. So many dead... and they all died trusting you! Weren't they your comrades?" 

"Not just comrades, family! ...I know I'm going to hell, but at least my child!" 

"I applaud your attitude." Solidus boomed again seemingly from thin air. "If you have a death wish-" Solidus appeared again in a trail of fire. "I'll be happy to accommodate you! See you in hell!" Solidus yelled as he moved a tentacle-like arm attached to the back of his armor, knocking Olga's pistol out of her hand and grabbing her throat with the other tentacle. The sitting President of the Earth-Sphere Unified Nation then slowly, deliberately, spun a P90 compact assault rifle using the trigger guard. 

"Live kid..." Olga choked at Heero. "You...have to." 

Her head then exploded in a crimson supernova. 

Heero's eyes widened as Solidus tossed her aside like a rag doll. 

"Now, let's pick up where we left off, shall we?" Solidus raised his arm, commanding the RAYs to continue. 

They didn't. 

"What's going on?!" 

Heero smirked. "The RAYs are malfunctioning." He stated, causing Solidus to glare. 

"What's wrong with it?!" Solidus did not heed the former Zero pilot. 

"The AI-GW, it's out of control." Ocelot said via radio. 

"What?!" 

Heero's smirk grew. The virus worked. 

"I'm reading an abnormal impulse cascade throughout the neural network." Ocelot continued. "I can't shut it down." 

"What happened?!" Solidus asked impatiently. 

"Maybe...some kind of virus..." 

Heero began to laugh. The joke was on Solidus. "Looks like your plans are cut short, Solidus." 

"The Patriots?!" Solidus asked Ocelot, trying to get Heero's mocking laugh out of his mind. 

"I don't know." 

"Ocelot! What have you been up to?!" 

"It's too late! Arsenal's system control is going haywire!" 

The RAYs beeped, their cockpits flashing red. 

"Stupid machines!" Solidus growled. "RRRAHHH!!" 

Heero's laughing stopped as Solidus rocketed up to level himself with a kneeling RAY's cockpit, firing his P90 rounds directly into it, causing the RAY to kneel defeated, its cockpit aflame. Solidus angrily turned his gaze toward the next one. It began to shoot at him but Solidus skated by the rounds, jumping on top of its cockpit and then firing downward, destroying it. The last RAY approached Solidus, but he casually shot into its cockpit with astonishing accuracy, destroying it as well. It thundered down to the ground. 

"Damn the Patriots!" 

Solidus rocketed down and grabbed Heero by the throat with his tentacle. Heero struggled to break free as it constricted his air intake. He raised Heero up and pointed the P90 directly at his face. 

Was this the end? 

"You still have some use..." 

"I've captured Snake." A female voice came from the other side of Arsenal. Heero took a glance to see Snake handcuffed behind his back, being pushed by Fortune. 

"Bring him in." Solidus ordered. 

Heero couldn't believe it. Then he went down into unconsciousness. 

"Heero, are you awake?" Solidus asked him. 

He was surprised that he wasn't handcuffed. 

"GW, the Arsenal AI is corrupted beyond repair. I admit that I underestimated you." He turned to face him. "I'll squeeze the answers out of you instead, my worthy opponent!" He stated condescendingly and then began to strangle Heero with those damned tentacles. 

After a minute of struggling to hold his breath, Solidus relented. 

"What are you hoping to hear? You know he doesn't know anything!" Fortune hissed. 

"It's not him I want the answers from." 

Solidus threw Heero down. He grunted when he landed on the hard ground. Even though he wasn't handcuffed, he couldn't do anything to fight back at the present moment. 

"What do you mean?" Fortune asked skeptically. 

"That isn't your business." 

"Well, I have my own business to attend to." Fortune began to walk away. 

"Planning to hijack Arsenal?" Solidus asked arrogantly. 

"Huh?!" 

"You were going to screw me over weren't you?" 

"Who talked?! Ocelot?!" 

"Not exactly, I was the one who used Ocelot to suggest the idea to you in the first place." Solidus pointed toward the man in question. 

"What?!" 

"I was planning to give you Arsenal to begin with." 

"Why the uncharacteristic generosity?" 

Solidus gave an amused laugh. "I'm no philanthropist. Arsenal is far from impregnable. It needs other mobile suits as guards, a huge payload of warheads, and full land, sea, and air support to function efficiently. Against a large attack force without support, Arsenal is nothing more than a gigantic coffin! The seizure of Arsenal Gear was never the real objective!" 

"What was your objective then?" 

A list of names...OF THE PATRIOTS!" 

Fortune gasped. 

"They were planning to extend their control to digital information flow with GW and Arsenal. That means the information they want to filter out is contained in GW, including a list of their names." 

"And once you knew who they were you would cross out their names one by one while we, with our useless Arsenal drew their fire." Fortune finished. 

"Very good." Solidus applauded. 

"You were using us all along." Fortune accused. 

"Were you any different?" 

"But your plan's hit a snag with GW destroyed hasn't it?" 

"No- there is another way." 

"Really? But we have our own plans to carry out. We'll take the Arsenal since you don't care for it anyway; the purified hydrogen bomb is ready to go." 

"A nuclear strike won't stop them." 

"It will damage their power source- the mindless masses that they control." 

"Of course- that was what you wanted. I won't stop you. Good luck." 

"Thanks, but I have quite enough of that." 

Ocelot cackled maniacally, earning him a questioning glance from Solidus. 

"What exactly do you find so funny?" Fortune hissed. 

"Charades usually are humorous. I would have enjoyed watching a bit more of it, but we're running short on time." 

Heero's eyes filled with questions as Snake glared. 

"What do you mean!?" Solidus asked angrily. 

"Everything you've done here has been scripted- a little exercise set up by us." 

"Exercise?!" Solidus asked in even more anger. 

"After the incident at Shadow Moses, we realized that the world was much more unstable and out of our hands than we thought. Therefore, the S3 plan was conceived as a means to remedy that instability. It was designed to create soldiers on par with Solid Snake- that's what I told you. You think this little terrorist incident is your own doing Solidus?" He asked mockingly. "Did you really think you could use the presidency to challenge its creators?!" He laughed. "Everything ends where it begins. THIS is the S3 training kernel. An orchestrated recreation of Shadow Moses." 

"WHAT?!" 

"Ames' death. The ninja. The computer virus that mimics FOXDIE. Did you really think they were all a coincidence? Ames' own nanomachines were used to shut down his pacemaker. I arranged for the appearance of the ninja as well. The virus was a digital counterpart to FOXDIE, designed to eliminate every scrap of information regarding the Patriots from GW. Your plan- years in the making, was invalidated even before execution, Solidus." 

Heero looked on stupefied. He knew it- his hunch was right. Ocelot was working for the Patriots. 

"The project has no room for failures- and this is its biggest success." Ocelot said as he took out a remote control and pushed a button. 

About twenty seconds later, a mobile suit emerged from a hatch in Arsenal that no one had seen. Heero and Snake looked at each other and then up at the mobile suit. 

Heero examined it further. It somewhat resembled the Epyon- it had a heat whip and sword attached to its power core, and was about the same height. 

But then again it didn't resemble the Epyon at all. 

It was painted cobalt, and while it had wings like the Epyon, the wings resembled those of an eagle, and this was augmented by its cockpit- shaped like an eagle's head with red eyes. 

"The S3 plan was supposed to create the perfect warrior- both soldier and mobile suit pilot." Ocelot stated in triumph. "But the perfect warrior needs the perfect mobile suit. One that is capable of expertly fighting on land, at sea, in the air, and in space. Did you all REALLY think Arsenal was the new Metal Gear?!" Ocelot cackled louder than he ever had before. "Arsenal was designed to be the command center, but _this_ is its enforcer." 

Heero suddenly realized the metal- he had been trained to. This 'Metal Gear' was made of Gundanium. 

"Yes, Heero Yuy." Ocelot gave an evil, triumphant smirk. 

Had he said that out loud?! 

"The proper name for this mobile suit is Metal Gear Gundam ZEUS!" 

Snake and Heero looked at each other in shock. They had been chasing a phantom all along. THAT was the new Metal Gear, not Arsenal, and it was a Gundam as well! 

"ZEUS! Named for the supreme ruler of all men and gods! And this mobile suit is the supreme ruler of the entire field of battle! It was a long way...getting here you know." 

No one could say anything. 

"The project to develop a new, unstoppable Metal Gear began after Shadow Moses- but we quickly realized RAY was not going to fit the bill. So we scrapped it- that's what the tanker was really all about. Within two years, we had a working prototype of the new Metal Gear...but before we field tested it...something happened." Ocelot pointed at Heero. "YOU showed up." 

Heero looked on in shock- his mouth actually agape. 

"The appearance of the Gundams set our work back by several years. We knew that even the new Metal Gear couldn't begin to rival them. We again had to scrap our project and go back to the drawing board to create a Metal Gear that could outperform the Gundams..." 

Snake scowled. Metal Gear was never dead. It was all a deception. He had _a lot_ of work to do. 

"…but we needed to see their combat abilities and stretch them to the limit to find out just how far we needed to go..." Ocelot continued. "So we had the Romefeller Foundation build their mobile dolls _and_ Libra. The Eve Wars, while being in part to create a World Nation...the real purpose was to fully test the Gundams." Ocelot paused for a second and directed a taunting smirk at Heero. "And then along came Relena Peacecraft..." 

Heero was going to get up and attack Ocelot, but Snake quickly signaled with his eyes to remain where he was. Heero obeyed. 

Ocelot cackled. "Her ideals of total pacifism were just what we needed! She helped to unify the fiery political situation, and thus make things much easier for us to control, but her advocacy of disarmament did us an even bigger favor. We needed a naive little bitch like her to keep unwanted eyes off the project! We even staged the Mariemaia-Barton coup to see if she was really serious or if she would relent and opt to keep defensive forces. But Relena is known for being stubborn...and she advocated further disarmament...just as we planned." Ocelot smiled in victory. "...and with the destruction of the Gundams and Solid Snake's continued self-imposed 'death,' there was absolutely nothing that could threaten our project from that point onward." 

Heero growled, and Ocelot laughed at it. 

"Of course, having a pacifist queen during the uprising of the White Fang that was to be the Gundams' final test was...problematic, and so, she was relieved." Ocelot smirked again. "Although Treize...realized what was going on, he had no choice but to play his allotted part. He couldn't let the White Fang run amok in space with Libra right?" Ocelot laughed mockingly. "And to think, he had to confront his friend, Milliardo." Ocelot continued to laugh loudly. 

"Solidus, your Presidency gave us the legal, albeit executive authority we needed to finally finish Arsenal and ZEUS. The Military Unification Act gave us the finances, and the Military Science Act was just a joke that could easily be bypassed...and it was...despite Miss Peacecraft's valiant fight." Ocelot said the last bit with some mocking drama. 

"The ZEUS cannot be rivaled! It is armed with an improved beam saber and heat whip adopted from the Epyon. It also has the vulcan cannons of the Wing Zero, a sizeable payload of warheads, and an improved version of Zero's Buster Rifle that we call the Thunderbolt Rifle. But its primary armament...ZEUS, like Arsenal, carries a purified hydrogen bomb. It also carries an improved version of the ZERO system, designed to work WITH a pilot's instinct to survive rather than against it. You see...people always fight harder and with much more ruthlessness when it's for their own survival." 

Heero's eyes constricted. "No..." 

"Which brings us back...here. This training Kernel will provide more than enough data to formulate a program to create the perfect warrior that is worthy of piloting this mobile suit. You!" He pointed at Solidus. "Dead Cell...Olga, you're nothing but pawns placed to create the perfect simulation to cement this project! Fortune, you and Dead Cell stand in for the FOXHOUND squad that Snake took on in Shadow Moses. You're the most impressive collection of freaks outside of FOXHOUND. Yuy, we brought you and the other Gundam pilots in to oppose us so we could see the extent of the training you were given to pilot the Gundams- they were the ZEUS' foundation, after all. Relena was the perfect bait to ensnare you." 

Heero took it all in. Relena was abducted and being held by the Patriots- the very scenario he had vanished (and greatly hurt her in the process of doing so) to keep her safe from. 

"We've gone to a lot of trouble to set you all up against each other. That story about purified hydrogen bombs is just the tip of the iceberg. Fortune, the sinking of that tanker along with your old man was all part of the project- throwing your husband in the brig was a part of it too. You were told that the eradication of Dead Cell six months ago was an act of the Patriots...we provoked and encouraged your hatred; and you opted for vengeance, just like you were supposed to." 

"All...orchestrated?" Fortune managed to squeak out. 

"All except for Solid Snake's sudden 'rise from the dead.'" He said the last three words condescendingly. "I wonder now...who sent for you." 

Fortune raised her rail gun, eyes glinting with anger. 

"All of our misfortune- all of that chaos and war and death was...just a part of their project?!" 

Ocelot drew his revolver and fired into Fortune's chest. 

Snake and Heero looked on in shock. 

Fortune slowly looked down at her wound and fell to her knees. "H...how could...!" 

"You're no Lady Luck. You have nothing that we didn't give you." Ocelot stated coldly, just above a whisper. 

"What?!" 

"Do you know why no bullet could hit you? It wasn't magic, or some New Age mumbo jumbo. Certainly wasn't your psychic talents. It was all staged by the Patriots!" 

"Staged?!" 

"You were being shielded by the electromagnetic weapons technology that the Patriots developed. Your Dead Cell comrades loved your father and husband. We needed a pathetic wretch like you to keep them focused. You've been our puppet all along- just like Olga." 

"No!" 

"You were hemming it up as the tragic heroine, thanks to the script that the Patriots wrote for you. Pure self-indulgence, absorbed in your own 'misfortune,' you couldn't get enough of the drama!" 

"You mean I could have died whenever I wanted to?" 

Fortune struggled to get up. 

"Thought I got her in the heart?" Ocelot stated, annoyed. 

Fortune fired her rail gun point-blank at Ocelot. The electric charge did absolutely nothing. 

Snake and Heero merely observed that it missed...it was hard taking their eyes off of the ZEUS, that knelt, yet still towered over the whole scene like a marker of all of this chaos and violence, and all of the same that led up to this point. 

"Ah! Now I remember...your heart's on the right." 

Fortune fired again. Same result. 

"A waste of metal my dear, your luck's run out! This is the little gizmo." Ocelot patted a rectangular object on his belt. "There's no such thing as miracles, or the supernatural, only cutting edge technology!" Ocelot grinned arrogantly. "Oh...I almost forgot...the ZEUS also carries this little piece of technology- preventing it from being hit by enemy fire." 

As if Snake and Heero weren't already greatly startled by the deadliness of the ZEUS, this new information left them even more so. Now this thing couldn't even get hit?! 

Solidus growled and emptied his P90 clip at Ocelot, every round missing. 

"You bastard..." Fortune fell down, coughing up blood. 

Ocelot jumped to the ZEUS' cockpit, opening it up and getting inside. The Metal Gear/Gundam came to life with the sound of a loud eagle cry, its red eyes glowing and glaring at the scene below as it stood on two feet. 

Solidus roared and fired missiles within his tentacles at the new mobile suit. Not a single one hit, they exploded harmlessly a good distance behind it. 

Snake and Heero stood up and watched the ZEUS with suspicious...even fearful eyes. 

"Now that I have enough data all that I need to do is retrieve Arsenal...and clean up the refuse from the exercise." Ocelot's voice boomed toward the three men below. 

"Just try!" Solidus challenged as he brought out his 'Democracy' and 'Republic' high-frequency blades. His armor closed over his mouth. 

The ZEUS gave another eagle cackle as the vulcan cannons came out of its shoulders. They fired. 

"RRRRRAAAAAA!" Solidus cried as he deflected the bullets with his two swords. 

Snake observed that one of them kinked the chain of his handcuffs. He tried to break them as Solidus kept fighting off the spray of the vulcan cannons. 

The vulcan cannons ran out. Solidus raised his swords in challenge. 

"How's this then?!" Ocelot challenged in his own right. 

"Damn!" Snake yelled. 

Fortune stood up and put her arms out. 

"You idiot! Get the hell away from there!" Solidus yelled. 

"I told you- your luck's run out!" Solidus taunted. "Take your reward, except for the purified hydrogen bomb, it's the entire payload ZEUS has! DIE!" 

"Everybody down!" Snake yelled in order. 

Heero and even Solidus complied at once. 

What began then was a barrage of missiles that would put even Heavyarms to shame. The cluster bombs came out first, filling the air and exploding in a New Year's worthy lightshow. The explosions rocked all over. Amazingly, they all barreled past Fortune's outstretched hands- which shielded all three men behind her as well. 

"What?! Impossible!" Ocelot stated in surprise. 

ZEUS kept pouring out missiles. 

They all screamed and glided over the four's heads. 

"She _is_ Lady Luck!" Snake said in admiration. 

"My name is Helena Dolph Jackson. The daughter of a proud and noble soldier..." She choked. "I can...see my family...again." She said as she fell to the floor, lifeless. 

"Damn!" Ocelot said in disbelief. His face grimaced. "Try this instead!" 

ZEUS raised its left arm. Something on top of its wrist opened up and a big, double-barreled gun swept out over its hand. 

"NO!" Heero yelled. He knew what it was- a Buster Rifle, or as Ocelot called this improved version, the Thunderbolt Rifle. 

Snake looked up and grimaced. 

The gun didn't fire. 

Ocelot's arm twitched. 

"No! NO NOT NOW!!!!!" Ocelot yelled. 

The ZEUS' cockpit opened. Revealing Ocelot without his ponytail and his right arm revealed with no clothing. 

Heero looked up with curiosity and, by now, shock that could not be concealed. What was Ocelot doing?! But it was not Ocelot's voice that boomed out. 

"Brothers!!" 

"It can't be!" Solidus yelled in disbelief. 

Snake's eyes narrowed. "Liquid!" 

Heero looked at Snake and then looked back up at 'Ocelot.' What the hell was going on now?! Was that...Liquid Snake?! 

"I've been waiting for this!" A loud British accent yelled in triumph. "I've been inside this arm all along waiting for the right time to awaken!" 

"You were inside Ocelot?" Heero challenged for an answer. 

"Yes- a sleeper in the arm of a Patriots' spy!" 

"It was you this whole time?!" 

"Exactly. _I_ was controlling _him_. Snake it was I that arranged for Une's dismissal and got you out here!" 

"What?!" 

"You are the only one that can free me, after all." Ocelot...Liquid's face grimaced. "I'm off to bury the Patriots for good." 

"You know where they are? How?" Solidus asked skeptically. 

"Why do you think I chose Ocelot as my host?" Liquid asked matter-of-factly. "But before I go I have a family matter to settle with both of you." He swept his hand over the forms of Snake and Solidus. "There's room for only one Snake, and one Big Boss!" Liquid pointed and then got back into ZEUS' cockpit. 

Solidus fired at ZEUS again with a few more missiles, but none of them hit. 

"Time to say good-bye!" Liquid boomed as he slammed the control panel. 

The ZEUS emitted an eagle-like cackle again and began to walk- it sounded just like the way the Gundams walked. 

"Damn!" Snake yelled as he struggled with his handcuffs. 

"Like gusts of wind? It's a good way to go." Liquid taunted as he reached the edge of Arsenal. 

Snake continued to struggle and then finally broke the handcuff's chain. He ran wildly toward the ZEUS.

"Liquid! Stop this thing!" 

"Hey Snake! You coming?!" 

ZEUS jumped off of Arsenal. 

"Hrrrrr-eya!" snake yelled as he jumped after it. 

A few seconds later, ZEUS flew full force, around five seconds after that, Heero watched the all-too-familiar transformation of a mobile suit into an airplane, in the ZEUS' case, an eagle-like craft. It roared and quickly jetted away toward the horizon. 

"SNAKE!!" Heero yelled as he struggled to remain upright from the huge gust of wind erupting from the ZEUS' engine. 

Heero was then toppled to the floor by Arsenal's sudden movement. He found himself struggling to not fall off the roof right alongside Solidus. 

Arsenal was speedily approaching downtown Manhattan.


	17. Civil War

**A/N:** Props to Guns N' fuckin Roses for the song!

Chapter 16: Civil War

"Otacon!" Snake tried to get his friend's attention over the roaring of the chopper blades. "Are you sure this is where they're holding her?"

"Yes. If we were discussing science, it would be an immutable law of nature." Otacon quipped.

"Well, thankfully, we're not." Snake answered back. "Can you get us in a little closer?"

"Yeah, just hold on a minute." Otacon said from the cockpit as he maneuvered the craft.

Snake grunted. They didn't have a minute. The sun would be coming up in that matter of time and the cover of darkness would vastly help.

"Snake! We're in position!"

Snake opened up the rear door of the Kasatka and knelt down. He took aim at sentries on a balcony.

"Hrrryahhh!" Snake yelled as he fired his M4, taking out the sentries from the helicopter. Snake raced onto the balcony and kicked the last sentry off the railing, he screamed in terror as he fell to his death. Snake opened a set of double-glass doors and slid inside.

Heero and Solidus landed on the roof of an old-style building as the Sun came up.

Solidus got up first and took a look around.

"Federal Hall..." Solidus stated with amusement. He then burst into huge laughter and began to twirl around.

"What do you find so funny?" Heero asked as he got to his feet.

"Do you know what day it is today?"

"April 30th." Heero answered as if nothing at all was special.

"That's right. George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States of America today. And it happened right here!" Solidus said with a seriousness Heero hadn't heard from him before. "We were going to declare another independence- the dawn of a new nation- here. The end of the Patriots' secret rule, the liberation of humanity. This was where it was supposed to begin; _this is where freedom could have been born!_" Solidus said angrily. "Heero, what I wanted to take back from the Patriots were things like freedom, civil rights, opportunities...the founding principles of my country." Solidus said solemnly as he raised his hand. "Last I heard, you wanted the same."

"That's very admirable, but using a new Metal Gear to launch a nuclear strike and drive the world to chaos is not the way to go about that."

Solidus glared. "Heero, you know that there is no other way to end a power system than assaulting it or taking it over for yourself from the inside. I really thought you were sick of the Patriots' rule as much as I was. Obviously, you've been brainwashed by that silly little girl you've been fucking."

Heero glared back.

"You really don't get it, do you? Relena Peacecraft is the biggest Patriots' puppet of them all! That girl has actually convinced the world that laying down weapons is the answer! That all but GUARANTEED THAT THE PATRIOTS WOULD FOREVER BE UNCHALLENGED!" Solidus yelled at the top of his lungs.

Heero growled, but deep down inside, he knew it was true. Ocelot had said as much, and if the Gundams had not been destroyed...things might have been different.

"How can one secure their rights if they don't have arms to defend them?" Solidus asked. "That Peacecraft girl's mystique and adoration is a thing entirely of the Patriots' creation for the very purposes of securing their dominance. It's a shame really, Heero, were it not for that woman dividing us, we could have been allies."

"Solidus, I don't know what's going through your head, but let's make one thing very clear: don't go around getting other people involved in your battle with the Patriots. Your nuclear strike would have done just that. That, and that alone is what makes us different."

"Heero, all I really want is to be remembered by history. Life is merely a grace period to pass our best genetic material to the next generation, but we brothers, we 'Les Enfantes Terribles'- we who were cloned from our father, with the ability to reproduce conveniently left out, what is to be our legacy if we cannot pass the torch? A token of our existence, a mark of some sort- the Patriots would deny us even that! This will be my mark in history. I will triumph over the Patriots, and liberate us all! And we will become the Sons of Liberty!"

Heero stood behind his cold mask of indifference. He was really serious- Solidus was reminding him of Zechs when he was with the White Fang. Just then, Heero was surprised when he received a Codec call. A scrambled voice came to him from the other end.

"Yuy, are you receiving? We're here."

"Who are you?" Heero asked in surprise.

"To begin with- we're not what you'd call 'human.' Before the colonies, a kind of consciousness formed layer by layer in the crucible of the White House. It's not unlike the way life started in the oceans four billion years ago. The White House was our primordial soup- a base of evolution. We are formless; we are the very discipline and morality that humankind invokes so often. How can anyone hope to eliminate us? As long as humanity is living, we will be here."

"What, do you think you're gods or something?" Heero mocked in standard monotone.

"Don't be silly. The scrambled voice answered again. Don't you know that we have _your_ interests, and not ours, at heart?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Heero tried to retain his indifference.

"The mapping of the human genome was completed before the colonies came into existence, and as such the evolutionary log of the human race lay open to us. We started with genetic engineering, and in the end, succeeded in digitizing life itself."

Heero was now beginning to lose his 'Perfect Soldier' stance as he was growing confused.

"But there are things not covered by genetic information, such as ideas, culture, and history, and is that not something to be passed on? Only a small percentage of the whole was passed down, like genes really, but now, digitized information, no matter how trivial gets stored like a rotten apple to spoil the whole bunch. This will slow down the rate of evolution. What we wish to do is not control information, in our eyes it is creating context."

"Creating context?"

"Yes. Who else could wade through the sea of garbage you people constantly produce? It is our responsibility as rulers. Your 'right to freedom' can potentially ruin the world."

Heero scowled.

"Did you really think you could protect Relena from us?" The voice laughed. "She is the perfect example of what must be done in this age. Total Pacifism." The voice stated mockingly. "A fine idea to help us, she just needed to do it in the right context. We helped to guide her along. _That's_ why we had Romefeller destroy the Sanc Kingdom. We told Dermail exactly what to do with her; and what to say, and sure enough she, of her own 'free' will, did our bidding. We didn't need to use coercion, at least not on the micro scale."

Heero growled.

"Animalistic instincts, Yuy, precisely why we must exercise power, but precisely the response we predicted to invoke from you. Do you...really think you deserve her?" The voice stated mockingly. "Does a princess fall in love with a man who doesn't even have a name?"

"I think that we'll decide things between us, thank you very much." Heero grunted angrily. "And we think that our experiences together overrule any of that generic bullshit!"

"Is that even your own idea? Or is it something Snake told you?" The voice mocked.

Heero growled even louder.

"You are weak, Mr. borrowed name Yuy. But what we're getting at here; is that S3 does not stand for 'Solid Snake Simulation.' Although everything Ocelot said was true, he did not know the full extent of the project."

Heero said nothing.

"What S3 does stand for is 'Selection for Societal Sanity.' It is a system for the control of human will and consciousness. It is not a soldier trained in the image of Solid Snake who pilots the Metal Gear Gundam ZEUS, although that particular part of the program is necessary for our enforcement purposes. The core of S3 is the method, the protocol that creates circumstances to make people what they are. _We_ are the S3, not anyone else."

"And you think you can control human thought and behavior?"

"Not think, we already do, and that's what this project was designed to prove once and for all. Relena became Queen of the World, just like she was supposed to; Milliardo Peacecraft led the White Fang, just like he was supposed to. You Gundam pilots opposed him and destroyed Libra, just like you were supposed to. We even managed to get the 'legendary' Solid Snake to do our bidding on the tanker- proving that even he who has been quite troublesome to us is also in some extent under our control. And, for this final test, we went back to where it all began- Shadow Moses, because of its extreme circumstances. It is an optimal test for S3's crisis management capacity. If the model could trigger, control, and solve this, it was ready for any contingency, and now, we have our proof. Through an occasional macro use of military force combined with a micro manipulation system, we have this world in our hands. The project has taken nine years and approximately one trillion dollars to complete, but it was well worth it considering the results. This is how the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper."

Heero immediately took it all in, now the Patriots had human behavior down to a sadistic science, and, because of the Eve Wars, Relena's policies of disarmament, followed by Solidus' of rearmament, controlled all weapons, foremost among them the ZEUS. They had total domination, and he was a puppet in all of it.

"We're done here. Yuy, it is now time to complete your last duty. Defeat Solidus."

"Forget it; I'm done being your lackey."

"Oh really? Are you forgetting this?" Suddenly, Relena's voice came over the Codec. "If you don't fight, Relena dies."

"Damnit." Heero grunted. He knew that was not really her, he could just tell, but the threat still remained.

"We also still have Olga's kid. Now, no more talking. It's time to end this. It will be a fight to the death. We will collect the necessary data from this fight and then consider the exercise closed. Which of our beloved monsters will live?"

The Codec call ended.

"Heero, I am sorry it has to come to this, but we should settle this as gentleman." Solidus threw Heero the high-frequency blade that Olga had given him. "We will fight as warriors, with the honor that the Patriots do not have." Solidus said as he unsheathed his two swords.

Heero unsheathed his own and got in a battle stance. He had been in many fencing matches, but none for his own survival. Heero, when contemplating all that he had heard from both Ocelot and...whoever that was on the Codec, began to see how really pathetic it all was. An old song that Snake had introduced him to played in his head, because it outlined just this.

_What we've got here is failure to communicate. __  
__Some men you just can't reach... __  
__So, you get what we had here last week, __  
__which is the way he wants it! __  
__Well, he gets it! __  
__N' I don't like it any more than you men…_

Solidus tried to attack Heero with one of his tentacles, but Heero made him pay for it by cutting him with an upward slice followed by a downward slice and then hit him on the latter end of a circular slice.

_Look at your young men fighting… __  
__Look at your women crying… __  
__Look at your young men dying… __  
__The way they've always done before…_

Solidus recovered quickly and rocketed away. He then slowly approached Heero, who was on his toes, ready to move. Solidus again tried the same tentacle trick, but Heero retaliated by a quick up-down-up combo. Solidus again rocketed away. He launched missiles at Heero from his tentacles, but Heero avoided them and got in close. Heero tried to swipe Solidus with his sword but it was too late, as Solidus was on his guard and Heero flipped away just as Solidus did a powerful downward double strike, avoiding what could have been death. 

_Look at the hate we're breeding…_

_Look at the fear we're feeding…_

_Look at the lives we're leading…_

_The way we've always done before!_

_My hands are tied!  
The billions shift from side to side  
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride  
For the love of God and our human rights  
And all these things are swept aside  
By bloody hands time can't deny  
And are washed away by your genocide  
And history hides the lies of our civil wars._

Solidus again tried the tentacle trick. Heero quickly made him pay for it, laughing to himself that Solidus would try the same thing three times- all with the same result. Solidus rocketed away, catching Heero in the fire, but the 'Perfect Soldier's' instincts immediately took over and he rolled, putting it out. Solidus used the distraction to launch more missiles, but Heero dodged them. Solidus got in close and performed the double-strike; Heero dodged and knocked him to the ground with three quick slices.

_D'you wear a black armband  
When they shot the man  
Who said "Peace could last forever?"  
And in my first memories  
They shot Kennedy…  
I went numb when I learned to see…  
So I never fell for Vietnam  
We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all…  
That you can't trust freedom  
When it's not in your hands-  
When everybody's fightin'  
For their promised land._

Solidus again tried the missiles, this time it was much harder for Heero to dodge, but dodge he did. When Heero tried to get in close, he narrowly missed being hit by a tentacle. Solidus moved in close and swiped at Heero (for the first time in their SWORD fight!), Heero could dodge the blades but not a tentacle. It knocked Heero to the ground and all his breath escaped his lungs.

'Bastard finally got me.' Heero thought.

_And_

_I don't need your Civil War_

_It feeds the rich while it buries the poor_

_You're power hungry sellin' soldiers_

_In a human grocery store_

_Ain't that fresh?_

_I don't need your Civil War_

Heero got to his feet before Solidus could do any more damage. As Solidus tried a double strike again, Heero swiped at him, which broke his guard, and followed it up with three more quick swipes. Solidus got up and launched more missiles, Heero again dodging. Heero got a quick swipe in and rolled away before Solidus' incoming roundhouse kick connected.

_Look at the shoes your filling…  
Look at the blood we're spilling…  
Look at the world we're killing…  
The way we've always done before.  
Look in the doubt we've wallowed…  
Look at the leaders we've followed…  
Look at the lies we've swallowed…  
And I don't want to hear no more!_

Heero broke Solidus' guard after another failed double strike and knocked him to the ground with three more vertical slices. Solidus rocketed away.

"Good work kid, but this is where it gets interesting."

Solidus broke the annoying tentacles off his body and raised his swords in challenge. Heero began to thank the God he didn't believe in that the troublesome things were gone.

He soon regretted that decision.

Solidus began to rocket around at a much faster speed than before. He went right up to Heero and swiped at him, the final point being a thrust that Heero just managed to block. Solidus attempted another thrust; Heero dodged, broke Solidus' guard and swiped him to the ground.

Heero couldn't believe how many slashes Solidus was taking- however, his armor was very thick. Heero needed to make more authoritative blows, but Solidus was not about to let that happen.

_My hands are tied!  
For all I've seen has changed my mind!  
But still the wars go on as the years go by  
With no love of God or human rights…  
'Cause all these dreams are swept aside  
By bloody hands of the hypnotized  
Who carry the cross of homicide  
And history bears the scars of our civil wars!._

Solidus attempted another combo, Heero dodged and broke Solidus's guard again, followed by two slices and one thrust of his own.

"Die!" Solidus yelled as he got up, rocketing over to Heero and giving him an earth-shaking elbow in his chest, causing Heero to fall to the ground.

_"We practice selective annihilation of mayors  
And government officials  
For example to create a vacuum  
Then we fill that vacuum  
As popular war advances  
Peace is closer."_

Heero got up safely before Solidus could attack and hit him hard with another two slice- and thrust combo.

"Over here!" Solidus yelled and rocketed toward Heero. Heero stabbed to break Solidus' guard, but by the time he got his sword back together, it was no use. Solidus again attempted a combo, but Heero stopped it with a jab of his sword followed by two slices to the chest.

_I don't need your civil war…  
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor  
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers  
In a human grocery store  
Ain't that fresh?!  
And I don't need your civil war!!!!  
No no no no no no no no no NO!!_

_I don't need your civil war…  
I don't need your civil war!  
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers  
In a human grocery store  
Ain't that fresh?!  
I don't need your civil war  
No no no no no no no no no NO!_

_I don't need one more war!!!!!!!_

Solidus really began to get angry now and came at Heero with a startling combo which took all of his skill to block. Again, Heero owed a big 'thank you' to Dr. J.

_I don't need one more war!  
No no no no no no no NO!  
_

Solidus again stabbed with his sword at Heero, but this time, Heero was ready. Heero dodged, stepped forward, and thrust his own sword, knocking Solidus' sword out of his hand. Heero's blade then stabbed right through the armor around Solidus' neck, went into his flesh, and came out the other side of his armor.

The fatal blow.

Solidus immediately dropped the sword he was still holding, a loud clanging noise announced its authority. The sword Heero had knocked out of Solidus' hand followed shortly after, sticking into the ground, handle coming out upright with a ping.

Solidus stumbled back, Heero's sword still in his neck. He fell off the edge of the roof.

Time seemed to slow down as Heero watched his latest victim fall. He hit the ground with a sickening thud and Heero watched as he reached for the statue of Washington with his last gasps, then fade into death.

As the former Zero pilot watched the President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation die, the last line of the song etched into his mind.

_What's so civil 'bout war anyway?_

Nothing was. And Heero was still as much a part of the pathetic process as ever.


	18. Legacy

**A/N:** You're kidding me! I actually finished something?! Well, I must say I'm proud of myself. :) Thanks to all who read it through and all reviewers, past and future. But this isn't really the end. I loved the crossover of these two settings so much that I will be writing more. There will be a sequel after I play Metal Gear Solid 4, and other stories- epic and one-shot will take place in this universe as well. Let's get on with it!

Epilogue: Legacy

Heero stood, staring at the statue of Washington and watched the police come to investigate Solidus' corpse, his sword still impaled in Solidus' neck. He contemplated what he had just done- he had killed a son of Big Boss. As a warrior, perhaps there was no greater feat, but Heero wanted nothing to do with it. The footsteps of passers-by were slow echoes to his ears. He was startled by a deep voice.

"Hey kid."

Heero turned around as Snake put a hand on his shoulder. He watched as Snake looked at the corpse and nodded to him. "You did a good job."

"All I did was the Patriots' bidding."

"That doesn't matter; the fact was that he would have started a war to take them out. We could not let him cause that chaos to the entire world. This is our fight, only those who choose to join us should fight by our side, Solidus would have just replaced one type of coercion with another."

"Yes, I said to him as much."

Snake nodded.

"Snake..."

"I said not to worry about it." He called it before Heero could say a thing about the Patriots. "Heero, we've inherited freedom from all those who've fought for it." He motioned to the statue of Washington. "We all have the freedom to spread the word, even me."

"What about Olga's kid?"

"Don't worry, I'll find him, count on it."

Heero knew Snake would. "I'm not gonna even ask how you survived what happened with Liquid, I knew you'd make it out somehow. Do you know where he went?"

"I put a transmitter on the ZEUS."

"Did he head for the Patriots?"

"Yeah, but I have a feeling they gave Ocelot a bogus location to begin with."

"Hn..."

Snake chuckled. "Cheer up, we have a better lead."

Heero looked up questioningly at Snake as he brought out a familiar looking disc. "This contains the list of all the Patriots."

"But Ocelot took it!" Heero blurted out and reached for it.

Snake yanked it back. "The one I gave you wasn't the real thing."

"What?!"

"This virus is coded to destroy only a specific part of GW, namely the information about the Patriots' identity-"

"Which means there's a parameter in there that defines what that information is!" Heero cut Snake off.

Snake nodded as he put the disc back in his pocket and took a few steps away.

"Count me in!" Heero said in an excited monotone.

"No, not yet, there are still things you have to do first." Snake stated cryptically without turning back.

For a split second Heero wondered what Snake was talking about, but was soon interrupted by a voice he had been aching to hear, but feared he never would again.

"HEERO!"

Heero's Prussian orbs widened and he turned around. Standing about a block away from him was Relena. She was a sight for very sore eyes. She gave him a closed-mouth smile and Heero watched as her honey hair was now gleaming gold in the morning sunshine, the wind fanning it out. Heero was again startled out of his thoughts by Snake's deep voice.

"I'll tell you what I told Otacon a long time ago." Snake half-turned as Heero faced him.

The tails of Snake's bandana were being blown in the same direction as Relena's hair. "Consider this the start of your new life. I'll contact you again when you find out what that is."

Snake then steadily walked away. No sooner did Snake begin to walk away from Heero than Relena began to sprint toward him. One of Heero's eyes watched Snake's retreating form while the other focused on Relena's fast approaching one. And then Snake fell out of view as Relena toppled into his arms.

"Heero! I was so worried...I'm so glad you're ok!"

Heero took a good look at her. "You don't look hurt."

Relena looked up at him. "No...it was the weirdest thing. After they took me Ocelot put me in a luxurious apartment, they gave me everything I needed, I just wasn't allowed to leave."

"Hn..." Heero grunted as he tried to make sense of it.

Relena laughed. "You don't know how much I missed hearing that." She sighed and put the side of her head on his chest. "When I hear 'hn' I know you're nearby."

Heero smirked and looked down at her beaming up at him.

"Heero...I saw and heard everything that went on in there. The Patriots...I...I feel so...used. I almost feel like I've been raped..."

"Relena..."

"But I feel ok...because I know you're here, and we can get through it together." She smiled. "So...where did Snake go?"

Heero was about to relay his conversation with Snake but was interrupted.

"He went after the Patriots, didn't he?"

Heero nodded with a 'hn.'

"And he didn't take you with him? I'm surprised. I mean I know you'd want to be involved and-"

"I'd rather be here with you." He cut Relena off and kissed her on the forehead, eliciting tears of happiness from her.

After a sigh of content, she spoke. "Speaking of Snake, he gave this to me." She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "But he said we had to be together before I read it."

"And did you read it?"

"Would you want to cross Snake?" She answered with a question.

"Bad idea."

She laughed. "Shall I?"

He smirked. "Hn." He nodded.

Relena unfolded the paper and she and Heero began to read.

_Heero and Relena,_

_I wish I could have said this all to you in person, but unfortunately, time is short._

_After this whole escapade, the two of you must be asking the question 'who am I?'_

_No one really knows who or what they are. The memories you have, and the respective roles you were assigned, are burdens you had to carry. It doesn't matter if they were real or not, that's never the point... There's no such thing in the world as absolute reality, most of what they call real is actually fiction. What you think you see is only as real as your brain tells you it is._

_What are you supposed to believe in? What are you going to leave behind when you're through?_

_We can tell other people about- having faith. What we had faith in. What we found important enough to fight for. It's not whether you were right or wrong, but how much faith you were willing to have, that decides the future._

_The Patriots are a kind of ongoing fiction too, come to think of it..._

_You're probably confused. Listen, don't obsess over words so much, find the meaning behind the words, then decide. I know you guys didn't have much in terms of choices for the past five years...but everything you've felt, thought about during that time is yours, and what you decide to do with your thoughts is your choice. You can find your own name, and your own future, and whatever you choose will be you. A new start, a clean slate, a new name, new memories. Choose your own legacy. It's for you to decide, it's up to you._

_It's important to remember that we're all born free; we've inherited that right from all of those who've fought to give it to us. We will stand on their shoulders and fight, in various ways, to keep that right alive. That's what our lives always have been, and always will be, about._

_Life isn't just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and movies...what we've seen, heard, felt...anger, joy, and sorrow. These are the things I will pass on. That's what I live for._

_The two of you are a perfect microcosm for all of that. Helping to bring you together was a small, yet satisfying accomplishment that I will look back on with pride. Just like I said about having faith before, have faith in each other. The two of you always have. Keep that faith alive and you will be fine._

_We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy and sad history by its light._

_We have all the magic of the digital age to do that with._

_Even with the colonies, and soon to be, Mars, the human race may come to an end some time, and new species may rule over this planet. Earth may not be forever...but we still have the responsibility to leave behind what traces of life we can. Building the future...and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing."_

Relena smiled as she folded the piece of paper up and put it back in her pocket. "That was really thoughtful of him..."

"Hn." Heero nodded in agreement.

"I am going to have this laminated. I want to keep this forever." She smiled.

"Hn."

"Can't you say more than 'hn?'" Relena teased.

Heero gathered her in his arms again. "Let's start finding our own legacy right now."

Relena sighed in delight. "Heero...we're in New York."

"Wow. You're smart." He smirked.

She gave him a teasing smack. "I mean, we may as well stay for a week and enjoy it, what do you think?"

Heero gave a full-blown smile, one he would only give to her. "Sounds good, do you know your way around here?"

She smiled back. "I've been here a few times on business, but I never really got to do anything enjoyable. I'll make reservations at the hotel I stayed at."

"And you'll take even more time off from work?" He smirked.

"Heero, I've been cooped up underground for a month, watching you guys run around fighting, and then I was cooped up high above the ground for another month, watching the same thing. I hardly call that time off from work."

Heero smiled again.

"But it was all worth it in the end, because I was reunited with you. And truth be told, I'd go through all of the burdens of the Patriots' plan for the past five years again if it meant we found one another."

"Hn." He nodded. "I promise, I'll do my best for you, Relena."

"That's all I've ever wanted, Heero." She beamed.

He smiled and gave her a passionate kiss, then embraced her, one hand on the back of her head and the other around her tiny waist.

Relena again sighed in contentment.

_Some time later…_

"Snake, are you there?" Otacon asked. "It's me. I've finished going over that disc."

"Did you find the Patriots' list?"

"Of course. It contains the personal data of twelve people. There was a name on it. Snake- it was one of Philanthropy's biggest contributors."

"What's going on around here?"

"I don't know..."

"Anyway, where are they?"

"Well, we were right about them being on Manhattan, but..."

"But what?"

"They're already dead. All twelve of them."

"When did it happen?"

"Well, ah...about a hundred years ago."

"...What the hell...?"


End file.
